Spinners get their turn

3 September 2006 | By Justin Goulding

David Parsons © Getty Images

If timing is, as they say, everything, David Parsons cannot have wished for a much better week in which to showcase spin bowling.

Parsons, the ECB's specialist spin coach, is overseeing a two-day game featuring only slow bowlers which got under way at Derby on Sunday.

With not a solitary seamer in sight, Parsons' novel idea – the first of its kind in this country – will allow him to assess and compare the most promising spinners around.

That the match started less than 48 hours after Mark Lawson and Adil Rashid, Yorkshire's two young leg-spinners, shared all 10 Middlesex's second-innings wickets at Scarborough ensured the topic of slow bowling is very much at the forefront of the minds of cricket watchers nationwide.

The emergence of Rashid, who took 6-67 on his first-class debut against Warwickshire earlier this season, and Lawson explains Parsons' enthusiasm about English spinning talent.

He makes no attempt to hide his excitement as he relays the thoughts of Terry Jenner, Shane Warne's mentor and coach and arguably the world's authority on the art of leg-spin.

“If you listen to somebody like Terry Jenner, who has been helping us with our leg-spin programme in the last few years, he says we've got the best young spinners in the world," Parsons told ecb.co.uk.

"He has coached all over the world, so for him to say that goes to show that we have got plenty of talented spinners out there."

There is, however, a rider. "We need to get these players early because that's when they've got more chance to develop,” added Parsons.

Chris Schofield's fall from grace highlights the perils of spin bowling © Getty Images

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"It's hard for spinners to break through in this country, so you'll find a lot of them show promise when they're younger but don't kick on," he said, referring to the limited opportunities in club cricket and the tendency for English pitches to favour seam bowlers.

As if to underline Parsons' point – again, the timing is almost spooky – this week saw the return to first-class action of Chris Schofield, the former England
leg-spinner.

Schofield played two Tests in 2000 amid much fanfare and hyperbole about England's new spin-bowling hope, only to fade away into obscurity, released by Lancashire in 2004 and forced to tout himself around via the minor counties and second XI circuit.

He may have helped Surrey secure promotion from the Second Division of the Championship after joining on a short-term contract, but his plight serves to highlight the precarious and, more often than not, ephemeral career of a spinner.

Parsons is doubly determined not to see such talent squandered again.

The encounter at Derby - which features players such as Lancashire’s Simon Marshall and Moneeb Iqbal of Durham as well as Rashid - will be split into three different scenarios spread over two days, giving Parsons and his colleagues the chance to assess the technical ability as well as the tactical awareness of the players, many of whom have little or no first-class experience.

"We will set up three game situations," Parsons said. "The first one will be 70 for one on the first day of a four-day game.

"The second is 70 for three in the third innings of a four-day game, and the last will be 70 for one after 15 overs of a one-day game.

"We will use old pitches and balls which match the state of the game and, by having three different scenarios, the bowlers will have to adapt they go about things.

"We've played around with a similar sort of idea with the leg-spinners before, but this is the first time we've done it like this and got all the best young spinners in one place.

"They will be recorded visually and their performances can be analysed. We'll be able to profile them in the same place at the same time, and see what they are good at and which areas they need to improve in."

Critics may argue that such a contrived exercise is not far short of futile, but one cannot disagree with Parsons when he adds: "How many times will these players have played with and against each other and been able to see how good they are?"

They can also draw on the wealth of knowledge and experience of England left-arm spinner Ashley Giles, who will be on hand at Derby to offer advice along with John Childs, Essex's former slow left-armer and now director of their Academy.

The encounter at Derby will not only allow Parsons to weigh up the merits of each bowler, but he is hoping to use his findings in conjunction with his continuing work overseas.

"If these are the best young spinners around, this is a benchmark for us," he added.

"We want to know how they compare with the young spinners on the sub-continent.

"First of all, that requires us to be clear on what we've got, and this game will help us work that out.

"Once we know what we're good at and what they're good at overseas, we can look to learn from them if necessary, and send these young spinners on coaching scholarships in India or Pakistan.

"This game at Derby is important because it means we'll be able to see what they need to do to become better spinners.

"We need to make sure they progress and become the best spinners in the world."