January 30, 2008	Wednesday	Muharram 20, 1429

ADELAIDE, Jan 29: Australian captain Ricky Ponting has conceded that Australia is struggling to fill the spinning void left by the retirement of champion Shane Warne one year ago.

Australia won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against India 2-1 but spinner Brad Hogg failed to pressure the opposition batsmen and had little impact.

Hogg, who turns 37 next month, was recalled to the side following some strong performances in 116 games of one-day cricket, but took eight wickets at 60.12 in three Tests. In seven Tests spread over 12 years, he has 17 wickets at 54.88.

Hogg struggled in the Tests in Sydney and Adelaide, the two wickets most expected to suit his left-arm wrist spin bowling.

His only wicket on the last day of the fourth Test in Adelaide came when tail-ender Harbhajan Singh holed out late in the match when a draw was certain.

Hogg’s figures for the Test were 1-119 and 1-52.

In the contentious second Test in Sydney, it was part-timer Michael Clarke who bowled Australia to victory, while all-rounder Andrew Symonds was also preferred with the ball at key moments in Adelaide and Sydney.

Few spinners are coming through in domestic cricket and Ponting said on Monday he would have to consider using his part-timers for the spin duties.

“Symonds and Clarke are doing a pretty good job for us in that department,” he stated. “Hogg is our first-choice spinner at the moment but if he is not around then maybe it is a matter of leaning on those guys.”

Ponting gave guarded support to Hogg.

“I don’t think Brad has let anyone down right though the series,” Ponting stated. “He has done the job we expected him to do – no more, no less.

“It is a while before we play Test cricket,” he added. “The selectors will then sit down and determine who the next spinner will be, if it is not Hogg.”—AFP