Johannesburg, Oct 23(ANI): Former South Africa spinner Pat Symcox believes the Test team might have missed a trick by not picking up any off spinner for their tour to Australia.
Symcox, who is a commentator during the Twenty20 Champions League, said that in terms of the makeup of the 15-man Proteas squad, the glaringly obvious thing is the absence of an off-spinner.
Symcox conceded that likely No 7 batsman J.P. Duminy will provide that option a bit, but he said he would have tried to find room for Johan Botha.
"He has been hard done by... more so by the fact that he is based in Australia now (as captain of South Australia). He might not have been a bad call, especially as he gives you some batting too," Sports24 quoted Symcox, as saying.
"Over the years people who've done well against the Aussies in slow-bowling terms have been off-spinners," he added.
"You've got four potential spinners in the squad who all take the ball away from the bat (of the right-hander) - Imran Tahir, Robin Peterson, Jacques Rudolph and Faf du Plessis. So there's only one counter to that (in Duminy)," he said.
Symcox believes the Proteas may not require a genuinely attacking function from a spinner on the looming tour, which features Tests at Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.
"Not with the quicks we've got - I think there may be some consideration to a thought that Tahir is a bit too loose and that maybe Robin is the guy to tie up an end and more or less do a Paul Harris-type of job of old," Symcox said.
"The quicks are fit and strong and they can run in and pick up the scalps," he added. (ANI)
