How have England fared recently when playing two spinners?
Wednesday 20 July 2016 15:39, UK
England are considering selecting two spinners for the second Investec Test against Pakistan at Emirates Old Trafford on Friday, with Adil Rashid added to the squad.
If they opt for twin tweak, it would be the first time England have started a home Test with two spinners in three years and only the sixth such occurrence in the last two decades.
Here's a look back at those Tests from the last 20 years - though, be warned, they make for grim reading…
Kerrigan and Swann
It is little wonder the last time England played two spinners in a home Test was three years ago when you consider poor Simon Kerrigan's struggles on Test debut at The Oval.
England opted to blood the Lancastrian leg-spinner with the 2013 Ashes all wrapped up going into the fifth and final Test and leading wicket-taker for the series, Graeme Swann (26 at an average of 29.03), there to guide him.
Kerrigan, however, managed only eight wicketless overs - costing 53 runs - on a disastrous debut, with Shane Watson smashing six boundaries in his opening two overs on his way to a Test-best 176.
Kerrigan has not been seen since for England, and Swann lasted only three further Tests himself before retiring midway through Australia's 5-0 Ashes whitewash that winter.
Swann and Panesar
England's experiment fared much better in 2009 when Swann and Monty Panesar teamed up as the dual-spin threat for the first-ever Test in Cardiff - although it was with the bat where Monty made his mark, stubbornly seeing off 35 deliveries for just seven runs as he and James Anderson (21no off 53) denied Australia victory by blocking out the final 11.3 overs of the Test to earn a famous draw.
With the ball, neither Panesar nor Swann were successful, the pair combining to take only one wicket across their 73 overs - Panesar bowling Ricky Ponting for 150 - as Australia amassed 674-6 declared in their first innings.
They fared better on the other occasions they linked up, though - across the 11 Tests where they both played, the spinners own a similar record, Panesar with 46 wickets at 35.28 compared to Swann's 45 at 32.66.
Tufnell and Such
It was 10 years prior when England last fielded two spinners in a home Test, with golden oldies Phil Tufnell (33) and Peter Such (35) - in what would prove to be the last of his 11 Tests - playing during a dark period in England's history as they slumped to a series defeat to New Zealand in 1999.
England escaped the third Test at Old Trafford with a draw thanks in most part to the rain, having conceded a 297-run first-innings lead. Tufnell took 2-111 from his 46 overs while Such fared slightly better with 4-114 from his 41 - but nowhere near as well as his 6-67 on debut at the Manchester ground against Australia six years earlier, a Test Tufnell also played in.
Giles and Croft
Talking of Test debuts, Ashley Giles made his - also at Old Trafford - against South Africa in 1998, alongside Robert Croft. Again, though, it was with the bat that their impact was mostly felt, Croft hitting an unbeaten 125-ball 37, as England held on to a dramatic final-day draw with just one wicket remaining after being made to follow on.
South Africa smashed 552-5 declared in the first innings; Gary Kirsten (210) hitting a double-hundred and a young Jacques Kallis (132) notching only his second Test ton. Croft (0-103) went wicketless from 51 overs but Giles (1-106) did at least claim a first Test scalp by bowling Daryll Cullinan.
Both were discarded for the final two Tests of the series with Ian Salisbury coming in and although he didn't claim a wicket, England won both games to win the series 2-1.
Croft and Salisbury
Croft and Salisbury played together against Pakistan in 1996 for a must-win final Test at The Oval. Needing a victory to level the series, John Crawley's 106 helped the hosts to a reasonably strong first-innings score of 326, but Pakistan cruised past that total, Saeed Anwar (176) and Saleem Malik (100) impressing in a score of 521-8 declared.
Croft and Salisbury were less grateful for their own individual tons - both conceding 116 in the innings! Mushtaq Ahmed then made a mockery of the England spinners' combined three wickets, with 6-78 to skittle the hosts in their second innings as Pakistan secured a series-clinching nine-wicket win.
Will Rashid and Moeen link up at Emirates Old Trafford? Find out by watching England's second Test against Pakistan from 10am, Friday, Sky Sports 2. Or watch from £6.99 without a contract, on NOW TV.
