Australia’s Spin Gamble Backfires at the Gabba
So, let me walk you through what’s been happening around this Ashes Test, because it’s stirred up quite a bit of debate — and Mark Waugh has been one of the voices questioning the whole situation.
Australia made a pretty bold call heading into the second Test at the Gabba: Nathan Lyon, the country’s most reliable spinner for more than a decade, was left out of the XI. Now, Lyon has played 140 Tests and taken more than 560 wickets, so seeing him sidelined — especially on home soil — instantly raised eyebrows. The last time Australia benched him at home was way back in 2012, when he was still new to the scene. This time, it wasn’t inexperience but tactical thinking that pushed him out.
The decision was explained as part of a pink-ball strategy. Stand-in captain Steve Smith said they expected the conditions under lights to help the quicks do most of the work, making a frontline spinner less essential. But this was already the second time in three Tests that Lyon was left out, and selectors had quietly admitted he wasn’t thrilled. And honestly, you can’t blame him — any competitor with his record would want to be out there.
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Almost immediately, former players like Darren Lehmann and Jason Gillespie questioned the move. They pointed out the obvious: Brisbane heat, heavy humidity, and a pitch with just 3 millimetres of grass rarely stay friendly for seamers all day. Lehmann bluntly said skipping the spinner was a “strange one,” and Gillespie added that a Test side should always have at least one frontline spinner, calling the call “gutsy” — but not necessarily in a good way.
And their concerns were validated pretty quickly. After Mitchell Starc knocked over two early wickets, England’s Zak Crawley and Joe Root settled in with almost alarming ease. Australia’s all-pace attack suddenly looked predictable on a docile surface where the ball stopped swinging after just half an hour. By the first break, England were cruising at 2-94, and commentators openly said Australia might be regretting that selection gamble.
Even worse, Lyon — who wasn’t playing but was training on the sidelines — took a ball on the ankle during nets, which just added another layer of frustration to a tough day for him.
So now, with the pitch flattening out and England looking comfortable, the conversation has shifted. The question being asked by experts, fans, and former players like Mark Waugh is simple: Did Australia overthink this? Because without a proven spinner like Lyon, the attack suddenly looks one-dimensional, and in Test cricket, that can cost you quickly.
It’s one of those decisions that sounded daring in theory but is already being judged harshly in practice — and unless conditions dramatically shift, the pressure is only going to build from here.
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