With the instant focal point being the Border-Gavaskar Trophy and the related fight for a top-order batting spot, Australia’s selectors already have Sri Lanka in mind. The 2-Check series may well be important for their final International Check Championship hopes, particularly Bharat’s upcoming home defeat to Unused Zealand.
Murphy and Rocchiccioli have an early chance to book a spot with Australia A’s two matches against Bharat A in Mackay and Melbourne. The pair will play games in one sport each and, when all players fail to qualify, will each go through with Australia’s ODI team to go one-on-one with bowling mentor and former New Zealand player Daniel Vettori .
Australia had an idea that Sri Lanka’s first Test could start on January 29, but there is a possibility of it starting on January 26 and the dates are still being finalized between the two forums. It is understood that the hierarchy needs a 10-day preparation period for test excursions outside the country and could simply fly to the United Arab Emirates or Oman for a pre-series camp. If the first test started on January 26, it would be cruel if the Australian tourists could be removed from the BBL before January 15.
“I pulled out of the last six games of the Big Bash that season because I just said, no, this is not the way I’m going to bowl there,” O’Keefe told ESPNcricinfo. “And I got some criticism. I remember a couple of coaches coming out saying, well, you’re going to get hit hard in India and you can also practice in the Big Bash.
“I deliberately took that past away, I went and played grade cricket, I played a second to nathan [Lyon]Is Obese Bash the most effective preparation?
“I would encourage selectors to let these spinners work early and then encourage them to practice with a red ball between Big Bash games.
“They are two completely different ways of bowling. In essence, every now and then in Obese Bash cricket you are bowling your worst six deliveries to a batsman, and the closest you come is committing to being seven to 10 days later of being asked to land it on a tea towel for 40 overs instantly.
“It’s a change for hitters, too. The way to mitigate it is muscle memory, and you need to practice it.”
The BBL has planned a sunny window for Australia’s Check players to qualify between the end of the five-Check Bharat series, which ends on January 7, and the start of the Sri Lanka series. On the other hand, there have already been issues within CA’s high-performance unit regarding the participation of Check players given their workloads arising from what is expected to be a grueling series. There are concerns over physical and technical preparation for Sri Lanka as both Tests are likely to be held on pitches with tight bends in Galle.
“It’s tough, because you’re coming out of the Big Bash, which is cross-bow bowling, slices and yorkers, and leg stumps. [line] “I need to land the ball in a similar spot consistently and allow the wicket to do the work for me,” O’Keefe said.
“In Australia, we’re looking at overspin, because it’s a different game. There you need to be able to hit that square spinner, and if it doesn’t spin it hits a shiny side, it slides and you get an lbw. But that same ball can hit the same spot and then swing beyond the outside edge of a right-handed batter. [for a left-arm orthodox]. Is that easy to do? I think it takes a little practice. But knowing what Matt plays and watching him play, I think he already has it in his arsenal. I think Todd Murphy has it in his arsenal.
“I’ve seen Corey bowl. I think he’s been given it too. However, you want to go out and bowl a batch there. So the preparation those guys can hopefully have is a week, though, I think “You want to spend a few weeks brushing it up and bowling constantly. In Australia you can do it once every two overs, there they allowed you to bowl it 10 times off 12 balls.”
Australia did not bring an orthodox left-arm spinner to Sri Lanka in 2022 with leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson accompanying Lyon along with two quicks, supported by Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne.
Chairman of selectors George Bailey on Monday spoke about his panel’s desire to find left-arm finger-spin players for future tours of the subcontinent.
“I am happy to be able to publicly announce in the market that this is an incredible capability ready in the subcontinent,” he said. “We’ve proven that for many years. Realistically, there aren’t a huge number of players in local cricket at the moment who are doing it. It’s something we’re trying to continue to prove. It’s certainly one of the reasons why we are so interested in Cooper Connolly and the way he walks.
“He’s still a work in progress with his left-arm spin. But [beyond] Matt Kuhnemann, Ash Agar, there just aren’t many players who can do it. We know we’re going to have a lot of touring around the subcontinent, a lot of testing where that skill set would be very desirable. So [we] Encourage anyone who has that up their sleeve to work hard at it.”
