Yep Anderson ruled out with a calf strain
That really sucks. The conditions would of suited him perfectly.
He averages a tick under 30 with 60 odd wickets from 18 tests.
Hes not a bad spinner by any measure.
Both his average and strike rate are better then Lyons who many claim to be the greatest off spinner Aus has ever produced.
Best prepare yourself for that average to get blown out a lot.
Youāve got to be a damn fine touring spinner to succeed in Aus, and he aināt it.
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Australia will go after him too. If Warner is still in he will take him on. Try and have him 0/40 off 6 overs, affect his confidence, and it also means they canāt have him bowl long spells from one end to contain and rest the quicks. We will want to overwork their seamers and also Stokes. Chop is right, touring finger spinners rarely fare well. The only ones in recent times have been top class, like Ashwin. Leach is not much better than Steve OāKeefe.
Are you suggesting the Chinese bats were no good?
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Even Ashwin has struggled out here, he averages 42 in Aus. Australia is a wasteland for touring finger spinners. Our pitches are paved with their broken dreams and shattered fingers.
*Ashwin is a special case though, heās close to the most over rated spinner in history. Save perhaps for Murali, who wasnāt even a spinner, he just threw it.
Ashwinās series stats is Aus:
2011/12 9 wickets @ 62 (3 Tests)
2015/16 12 wickets @ 48 (3 Tests)
2018/19 6 wickets @ 24 (1 Test)
2020/21 19 wickets @ 28 (3 Tests)
Last summer was a pretty good return, and he talked about how he had to change his approach in Australia and bowl with more overspin and beat batsmen in flight more than just turn. His first 2 series he averaged 60+ and 40-odd with the ball, so thatās made his figures in Australia look very poor. The last 2 series heās done quite well. Overrated? Perhaps. Helped by the fact that being Indian means he plays the bulk of his Test cricket there, which is conducive to quality spinners. Home average 21 v away average 31. Theyāre very respectable averages for a finger spinner in anyoneās language.
No, heās overrated AF.
His record outside of Asia (and the Caribbean, whoās wickets are now just asia) is pox. Couldnāt be more stark for a bloke whoās played so much cricket and taken so many wickets.
I think that is a little harsh on Ashwin to be honest. Reasonable player.
The best offies of the past few decades in Australia:
Murali averaged 75 in Australia.
Kumble 38
Harbhajan 73
Vettori 37
Swann 53
Jadeja 44
Mushtaq 34
Lyon 33
On the historical evidence, one could argue that unless you had a good spinner, you might be better playing another quick!
Leach has shown some promise - Iād definitely be playing him.
The only countries he averages over 40 in with the ball are Australia and South Africa, which are the toughest conditions to bowl in as a finger spinner. The only country he averages in excess of 30 against (home and away) is us, everyone else he averages under 30. They are superb numbers. If you average more than 5 wickets at Test at under 25, regardless of what kind of bowler you are, that is world-class.
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Yep, there are very few examples of touring spinners doing well down here in recent years (Ashwin and Jadeja last summer and Graeme Swann in 2010-11 are the only examples I can think of off the top of my head). Jack Leach is simply not very good and I canāt see him having much success here. I reckon England should go for Woakes, Robinson, Wood and Broad for the Gabba, with back-up from Stokes and Root. Root is a better bowler than heās given credit for in my opinion and while the conditions here probably wonāt help Woakes, his Test record (39 Tests, averages 27.8 with the bat and 28.7 with the ball) is pretty solid and heāll boost their lower order.
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He talks to himself?
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Haha I did think this exact thing after I posted it but thought Iād leave it.
Letās say, asked by or in consultation with the coaching staff/team management 
Turn of phrase 
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Never said he was damn fine, I said he was better than you gave him credit for which he absolutely is.
But yes Im not expecting him to do very well this tour.
Hopefully our government stops listening to Nicola
She has had her time and needs to be pulled down a peg or 7 (Donāt disrespect people on your way up, as you will have to deal with them on the way down)
i know of a couple of people that work under her.
Not fans at all, she believes she is a celebrity hero, and makes sure everyone knows she is the boss.
Waitā¦where am I?
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What have you got against Anil Kumble ? Why do you insult him by calling him an āoffieā ? He was no mere finger tweaker ā he was a REAL spinner, a LEGGIE, one of the best wrist-spinners ever seen.
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Rather topical this week, as one of now 3 bowlers in test history to take 10 wickets in an innings.
The thing that sets Kumble and Laker apart from Patel is of course that they both won the gameās for their respective teams by ripping through their opposition.
Patel just took a bunch of wickets for the test because the rest of the black caps bowlers were completely toothless, while the Indians plundered NZ around the park.
Jim Laker also took 9 in the second innings.
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