Australian leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson has delivered a blunt assessment of the declining role of tweakers in Test cricket, labelling the current trend "sucks" after selectors overlooked a frontline spinner for the Sydney Test for the first time in 138 years.
A Historic SCG Omission
The absence of a specialist slow bowler at the Sydney Cricket Ground for the final Ashes Test marks a dramatic shift in Australian selection policy. Nathan Lyon's injury replacement, Todd Murphy, was left out of the side, continuing a pattern that has seen Australia opt against playing a spinner in four of their past six Tests. This stands in stark contrast to the period between April 2013 and June 2025, where a tweaker was featured in all but one of 120 Tests.
"I won't be careful - it sucks," said Swepson, the Queensland leggie who played four Tests in 2022. "I'm obviously biased, but I think we've seen it coming in Sheffield Shield cricket. We see less and less spin bowlers coming into the game, particularly in certain parts of the country."
Greener Pitches, Fewer Opportunities
Swepson pointed directly at the surfaces being prepared across the country as the root cause. He lamented the move away from the iconic turning tracks of the past, where legends like Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill thrived, towards greener wickets that heavily favour seam bowling.
"We're seeing greener wickets and seam being the main source of wickets, and it's such a shame because there's definitely a spot for spin bowling in Test cricket," Swepson said. The statistics from this Ashes series support his claim: spinners from both sides bowled just 14.2 per cent of the overs in the first four Tests, claiming a combined total of only nine wickets.
He suspects a fear of producing flat, drawn-out matches is driving the trend, even as Cricket Australia reportedly considers intervening to ensure Tests last into days four and five after losing an estimated $15 million from shortened Ashes contests this summer.
Long-Term Damage and a Plea for Change
The 32-year-old warned that failing to nurture spin talent through match experience will hurt Australian cricket in the long run. He used the example of Todd Murphy, touted as a long-term prospect, missing out on valuable playing time in Melbourne and Sydney.
"The best way you learn is experience and getting out there and playing," Swepson argued. "For example, it would've been great for Toddy to just play this game if that's who they're thinking for the Tests away. It would be great for him to have gotten that experience."
Swepson called for someone, whether at state association or Cricket Australia level, to be brave enough to start producing pitches that support spin again. "Somewhere in the country has to be prepared to do that," he stated, while reaffirming his own desire to pull on the baggy green once more.
His concerns were echoed by former Test player Greg Blewett, who called the SCG situation "unbelievable," and Simon Katich, who said the trend was "not great for the development of young spin bowlers in this country."
