It feels like the Australian selectors haven’t put a foot wrong this summer, with leg-spinner Mitch Swepson looming as their next success story.
Alex Carey, Michael Neser and Scott Boland have been blooded so far this summer, the former set for a long stint behind the stumps and the latter man-of-the match on debut.
On a dry SCG wicket with three successive series in the subcontinent coming up, the time may be right to give 28-year-old Swepson a taste of Test cricket.
“If the conditions suit, we’d love to give Sweppo a crack,” chief selector George Bailey told reporters on Thursday morning.
“We’ve got no doubt, whether it’s the SCG or sometime in the future, that Sweppo is ready. We love having him around the group and love everything he’s bringing.
“His cricket gets better and better, and he’s a great young leader, so we’d love nothing more than for him to get an opportunity, but it’ll be conditions-dependent.”
Swepson took 32 wickets at 23.40 in the Sheffield Shield last summer and spent more than a month travelling with the Test team without being given an opportunity.
He had previously been called up to the Test squad for the tour to India in 2017 and for a home Test against New Zealand in 2019, but couldn’t break through.
Bailey sympathised with Swepson, and drew the parallel with heart-and-soul bowler Michael Neser who waited more than three years from his first call-up to his Test debut.
Neser returned tidy figures of 1/28 and 0/33 but reportedly pulled up sore after the Adelaide Test, Boland taking his place in the side for Boxing Day.
“I think Michael Neser has been the biggest example of this over the last couple of years,” Bailey began.
“(Players) have been on the periphery, especially given some of the squad sizes we’ve had to carry…
“It can make it really hard because you’re so close, but you’re not necessarily playing as much for your state or your Big Bash franchise.”
Australia’s premier line and length bowler Josh Hazlewood in the frame to return for his home Test, while Jhye Richardson is fighting fit having been rested after he took 5/42 in Adelaide.
Mitchell Starc is the only fast bowler in the team to have played every match, but Bailey was dismissive of the notion he could be rested for the fourth Test.
“One bone of contention is no-one is ever resting,” the former international captain explained.
“Particularly with the fast bowlers, there’s no such thing as a rest. If they’re not playing, they’re working their backsides off to get their physical conditioning right.
“We need to stop using that word… but we also need to understand that at different stages throughout the year, there’s a hell of a lot of cricket across a range of formats.
“(But) our quicks not having as heavy a workload as they had in Adelaide, and a couple of extra days off, will all work in their favour.”
Starc set the tone for the summer when he bowled England opener Rory Burns around his legs with the very first ball in Brisbane, and after three Tests has a series-leading 14 wickets at 19.64.
With Hazlewood hurt and captain Pat Cummins ruled out as a close contact of a COVID positive, Starc was the pick of the bowlers in Adelaide with match figures of 7/80 and 58 runs.
“I couldn’t speak more highly of Starcy,” Bailey lit up.
“On the face of Hoff (Hazlewood) not being there, Patty missing the second Test… I’ll echo Pat’s words from the other day.
“I think he’s stepped up and he has led the attack, and he’s bowling as well as I’ve ever seen.”
Australia will host the first dead rubber of the summer at the SCG from January 5, having taken just 12 days over the first three Tests to retain the Ashes.