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England have dismissed talk of another variation in R Ashwin's armoury
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It was anticipated before England's tour of India that they would face a
great deal of spin bowling but, with the warm-up games completed, they
have faced more spin off the pitch than on it.
Having been consigned to non-spinning pitches and deliberately deprived
of the chance to face quality spin bowling in the three matches ahead of
the Test series, England will have opened their newspapers in Ahmedabad
on Monday morning and found that
R Ashwin,
one of the Indian spinners they will face in the Tests, has claimed to
possess a new "mystery" delivery. "I have been working on this ball for
some time now," Ashwin told the
Times of India. "I might use it in this series."
There is nothing new in such claims. For years Shane Warne used to play
on the insecurities of England batsmen by talking of his new deliveries
ahead of Ashes series.
Saeed Ajmal,
ahead of England's series against Pakistan in the UAE, made similar
claims. On each occasion, there was little evidence of such a delivery
though confused batsmen sometimes interpreted natural variation as
something more deliberate.
But this time England have dismissed the claims.
Richard Halsall,
the England assistant coach, reacted with both amusement and cynicism
to Ashwin's claims and suggested the side had heard it all before.
"I was very fortunate to spend a few years with Mushtaq Ahmed at
Sussex," Halsall, who was formerly fielding coach at Sussex, said. "And
Mushy would have a 'mystery ball' every week. He'd show it to the
opposition in the nets and, as we would wander off he would say 'that's
just my leg-break'. If Ashwin has got a mystery ball, that's fantastic
for him. It may move cricket on. But I'm sure our batsmen will watch him
carefully and deal with each ball as it comes."
While England may be cynical about the existence of any new delivery,
their ability to play those deliveries in Ashwin's already extensive
repertoire remain unproven. Their troubles against Pakistan have largely
been explained with the explanation that Ajmal is a bowler of rare
skill and variation. While that is true, it ignores the fact that they
were troubled almost as much by Abdur Rehman, and in Sri Lanka by
Rangana Herath; both of whom are largely conventional left-arm spinners.
Halsall admitted England found it "quite odd" and "frustrating" that
they had faced so little spin in the warm-up matches, but suggested they
compensated by practising against good quality spinners in the nets.
"We've managed to get enough high-pressure, quality practice into the
batsmen off the field so that they feel ready for the first Test," he
said. "It's not a concern, but it has been quite odd that we haven't
faced the spin out in the middle, especially when there have been
spinners playing. But we've been fortunate to have some exceptional net
bowlers. Over here, you do get some exceptional players not in the
games."
Halsall was behind the stumps when Stuart Broad and Steven Finn bowled
in practise on Sunday and was impressed by what he saw. But a decision
on their participation will not be made until Tuesday at the earliest
with both needing to prove their match fitness with a prolonged bowl in
practise.
"Steven and Stuart both looked fairly hostile," Halsall said. "They both
bowled very well. It's fantastic to see where Steven is. We didn't
think he'd be at this stage so soon. That's great, and Stuart is coming
along exactly as we thought he would.
"We'll monitor them over the next two days. Then we'll know a little bit
more. But we're happy with where they are at the moment."
It underlines Halsall's growing stature within the England camp that he
has been given a more public role with the squad for the first time.
Originally appointed as fielding coach, he has already stood in for team
director, Andy Flower, on occasional days and must be considered a
contender as his successor sometime in the future. But Halsall may
require a spell as director of cricket at a county before taking control
of the national side.
It may also be relevant that Ashley Giles is presently with the squad.
Warwickshire's director of cricket, who is also an England selector, may
be a more suitable candidate to stand in for an entire series if Flower
is to be rested. With ODI series coming up against India and New
Zealand, it is possible Flower will be urged to take some time off ahead
of a year that will include back-to-back Ashes series.
