Shane Warne’s solution for Kerry O’Keeffe’s Australia spin concerns

[Nergal]

 

FORMER Test bowler Kerry O’Keeffe says Australia’s World Cup defence is under threat as its spin stocks fall well behind rivals England and India, however Shane Warne believes he might just have a solution.

The world’s best one-day international side England has built its success with leg-spinner Adil Rashid, while second-best India operates with fellow wrist-spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal.

Australia, however, completed the majority of its last ODI series without a specialist tweaker, opting to use off-spinning all-rounder Ashton Agar with little effect.

O’Keeffe said Australia has failed to develop quality wrist-spin bowlers who can damage opposition with bamboozling variations. The shortage could see the nation come up short at the World Cup in England next year.

“The reason these spinners (Rashid, Yadav and Chahal) are striking is the fact they’ve got big wrong-uns,” O’Keeffe told foxsports.com.au.

“I’m looking at the wrong-un bowlers in Australian first-class cricket and I can’t see too many who have the really hard-to-play wrong-un.”

Agar endured a difficult one-day tour of England in June, taking just four wickets in five consecutive ODI losses at an average of 58.

Fellow spinning all-rounder Glenn Maxwell was only afforded four overs all series, while Test star Nathan Lyon played two matches, taking figures of 1-70 from 17 overs.