‘We don’t need you,’ former Aussie spinner worries that the Australian cricket team has sent a negative message by breaking this 138-year-old record
In a historic first, the Sydney Cricket Ground saw Australia fielding a Test XI without a specialist spinner, first time in 138 years, a decision criticized by former players like Kerry O’Keeffe.
Last Updated: 02.19 PM, Jan 04, 2026
For the first time in 138 years, the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) witnessed an Australian Test XI without a specialist spinner. It was a selection gamble that defied history, logic, and the traditional DNA of the "Spin Capital" of Australia. By the time rain and bad light brought a premature end to Day 1 of the fifth Ashes Test, that gamble appeared to have backfired spectacularly.
Despite a morning burst that left the tourists reeling at 57/3, England’s premier batting duo, Joe Root and Harry Brook, systematically dismantled Australia’s all-pace strategy. The pair put on an unbroken 154-run partnership, guiding England to a commanding 211/3 before the Sydney weather intervened.
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A selection shock 138 years in the making
The major talking point before a ball was even bowled was Steve Smith’s confirmation at the toss: Todd Murphy had been overlooked. Australia instead opted for the towering all-rounder Beau Webster, creating a five-pronged seam attack alongside Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland, Michael Neser, and Cameron Green.
Not since 1888 has Australia neglected to field a frontline slow bowler at the SCG. Captain Steve Smith admitted he "hated" the decision but felt "pushed into a corner" by a series of green-tinged, seam-friendly pitches that have dominated this summer.
"If we keep producing wickets where seam and cracks play the biggest part, you have to play to the conditions," Smith noted. However, as the afternoon sun peaked through the clouds, the lack of a variety-inducing spinner became glaringly obvious.
Morning fire, afternoon fatigue
The day started with a sombre tribute to the victims of the Bondi mass shooting, followed by a vintage display of Australian fast bowling. Mitchell Starc continued his dominance over Ben Duckett (27), inducing a thick edge to Alex Carey in the seventh over.
Michael Neser followed up by trapping Zak Crawley (16) LBW, and when Scott Boland removed the young Jacob Bethell (10) shortly after, the SCG crowd sensed another English collapse.
However, as the ball lost its initial shine and the pitch flattened, the Australian attack looked one-dimensional. Without a specialist spinner to tie down an end or provide a change of pace, Root and Brook found easy boundaries.
Root, nearing his 68th Test half-century, played with surgical precision, while Brook was the aggressor, punishing Webster and Green.
Brook survived a scare on 45 when a top-edged pull off Starc fell between three fielders, but he capitalized on the life, finishing the day on 78* alongside Root’s 72*.
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A message sent to young spinners?
The decision has sparked a firestorm of criticism from former players. Legendary leg-spinner Kerry O’Keeffe expressed "big-time worry" for the future of the craft in Australia.
"There are thousands of ambitious young spinners out there who want to wear a Baggy Green," O’Keeffe said on Fox Cricket. "The message we are sending them right now is: 'We don't need you.'"
With England also omitting Shoaib Bashir for a fifth straight Test, the "Spinless Sydney" Test is officially a battle of the seamers. But with the SCG surface expected to slow down and take a turn later in the match, Australia may yet rue the day they left their specialist tweaker in the dressing room.
Score summary (Day 1):