Who is Mitchell Swepson? Know all about the leg-spinner who troubled India in the 3rd T20I
Follow Us
Australian leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson has been making waves recently thanks to his terrific performance in the T20I series against India. Chosen as a last-minute replacement for the injured Ashton Agar, Swepson who was supposed to play in Australia A’s tour game against the Indians, was drafted straight into the playing XI from the first T20I onwards.
In the first T20I against India which was the leggie’s second match for Australia, Swepson kept bowling short and was punished by the Indian batters. However, the same short ball reaped huge rewards for him as he bamboozled Virat Kohli with a rising delivery. Swepson’s line and length got better in the second T20I as he picked up the wicket of Sanju Samson and kept it tight.
Swepson saved his best performance for the last as he led Australia to victory in the thrilling 3rd T20I. Defending a total of 186, the Australian bowlers were going for plenty of runs but the Indian batters just could not free their arms against Swepson. He ended up dismissing Shikhar Dhawan, Sanju Samson and Shreyas Iyer while conceding just 23 runs to walk home with the Man of the Match award.
The rise of Mitchell Swepson
Hailing from Brisbane, Mitchell Swepson was compared to the great Shane Warne in his initial years. The leggie made his name known with scintillating performances in his first two Sheffield Shield seasons in 2015 and 2016 going at over 4 wickets per game which led to him being noticed by the selectors. He was chosen in Australia A’s squad and he ended up bagging a whopping 14 wickets in 3 matches against South Africa A and India A.
Following consistent domestic performances and eye-catching spells in the Big Bash League, Swepson was picked for the tour of India in 2017 but did not get a game. The same transpired in the Bangladesh tour. He finally got his national team debut in a one-off T20I against England where he picked up two wickets. His next chance took two more years to arrive when he took the field against India at the Manuka Oval last week.
Swepson became known and is now known for his flippers and skidders that turn a great deal. He also possesses the occasional tossed-up loopy delivery in his arsenal as Sanju Samson learned in the 3rd T20I. The googly is never out of the question when Swepson is bowling as well, as Shreyas Iyer got to know in his very first delivery in the same match.
Swepson is now a part of Australia’s Test squad for the series against India as well and might get to debut in the Baggy Green very soon. One thing is for certain: the 27-year-old Swepson is just getting started.
Stay Updated!
Nevin Clinton
(2399 Articles Published)