iSporter Jigar Mehta looks at the rise of Nathan Hauritz and asks the important question, "Is Nathan Hauritz the next Shane Warne?"
Australia produced Shane Warne, the greatest ever spin bowler of the Cricket World in an era when the fast bowlers dominated the show.
This young wizard from Victoria brought about a whole new dimension to the game with his spin bowling and produced some miraculous deliveries, be it "The ball of the century'' which spun approximately 2.5 feet before rattling the timber or the one that bowled Andrew Strauss round his legs in the 2005 Ashes series. He is currently playing in IPL, contributing as a captain, coach, bowler and motivating the young brigade with his all round skills in the IPL.
Shane with his leg spin, flippers & wrong'uns formed a lethal combination along with fiery pace attack of McGrath, Lee, Gillespie & Kasprowicz who ripped the opposition team apart. He has always been very professional and kept aside all on and off the field controversies and given a 100 % to the game.
He called it quits to test cricket after the 2007 Ashes series tormenting the English with a 5-0 whitewash, he had already retired from the ODI's in 2003.
With the retirements of McGrath, Gillespie & Kasprowicz around the same time, Australia faced a challenging task to fill the void in the pace department but the bright new brigade of Johnson, Stuart Clarke, Ben Hilfenhaus, Doug Bollinger, Ryan Harris & Dirk Nannes is beginning to shine on the international arena.
But what about the void left in the spin department after Shane Warne? There were several answers pointing towards Stuart Macgill, but constant injuries & poor performances meant that he had to retire earlier than expected, Brad Hogg, Jason Krejza & Bryce Mcgain followed soon after.
Brad Hogg didn't have age on his side and soon retired. Jason Krejza had a dream debut with figures of 12/358 and man of the match against India in 2008/09 but with constant injuries and poor performances against South Africa he too was dropped. Bryce Mcgain was also unlucky with injuries.
The only name in the reckoning was that of young Nathan Hauritz. This witty off spinner from Queensland nicknamed ''Ritzy'' captained the under 19 Australian team and also played for the New South Wales & Queensland state side.
He made his debut against South Africa in 2002 and at the age of 20 made his debut against India. With Warne injured for the 4th test in 2004 Australia tour to India, the youngster got the chance to wear the Baggy green cap and finished with figures of 5/103 and claiming dream wickets of Sachin Tendulkar & VVS Laxman.
In ODI's he took his career best figures of 4/29 against south Africa in April 2009 & went on to become the highest wicket taker in one day series against Pakistan in UAE.
His best point in his career was yet to come; during Pakistan tour to Australia 2009/10 he took 6/159 in first test unlucky to miss out on MOM award.
He had match figures of 6/130 in the 2nd test at the SCG which helped Australia beat Pakistan in a match that Australia had virtually lost.
Not only his performances with the ball but also his performance with the bat & field has proven useful for the team since he is averaging close to 23 in tests & close to 27 in the Odi's.
He is turning out to be a bright prospect in T20's too with economy of 6.40 which at any point in time is acceptable in the shortest format of the game. Hailing from a country that is famous for its fast pitches & fast bowlers this young lad has shown that he has the ability to perform under any conditions and any pitches.
This young spin master has developed good variations in his bowling which includes well flighted deliveries which spin sharply after they land & a good faster delivery that goes straight on without spinning. He has played a vital role in his team's success in the past 2 years.
With his witty off spinners & straight on deliveries he has survived among the toughest in a country where performance is an absolute key to survival in the ever increasing competition, contributing in all aspects of the game .With wickets to show under his belt and a decent economy rate in ODI's and T20's, with consistent performances winning his captains confidence, with such tender age & great skills the question to be asked is-
''Is Nathan Hauritz the next best thing to happen to Australia after Shane Warne? ''
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Saurabh Joshi
said:
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... Nice one jigar, but I think there cannot be anything which is good post Shane Warne, I dont think he is even close to fill the master spinners boots. Selecting Hauritz at this point is more out of compulsion. According to me he is just about ok. |
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