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Spinner Swepson spoilt for choice

While Australia’s Test spinners work on their variations in Sri Lanka, this young leggie has more than he knows what to do with

As Australia’s Test spinners scramble to add new tricks to their armoury ahead of the third Test in Colombo, a young leg-spinner back home has more variations than he can count on one hand.

Queenslander Mitchell Swepson, fresh from taking seven wickets for Australia A in their 10-wicket thumping of South Africa A in Townsville, spent his time with Cricket Australia’s National Performance Squad in the subcontinent last month working hard on his swag of different deliveries.  

"Working in Sri Lanka (with the NPS), I just picked up a lot of stuff about my variations, using different angles of spin on the ball, different paces and things like that that work on the wickets over there,” Swepson told cricket.com.au from Townsville on Tuesday.

"Those were probably the main points I picked up from over there.

"That sort of stuff is something you can bring back to the pitches in Australia."

Swepson's four seals South Africa A's fate

Swepson claimed four wickets in South Africa A’s second innings on Tuesday – the pick of the bunch a perfectly executed wrong’un to Hardus Viljoen, who shouldered arms only to watch on in terror as the ball pitched, gripped, and spun back sharply into his off-stump.

While that googly was good enough to fool a South African tailender, it’s the balls that don’t spin that have been causing the major issues for Steve Smith’s men in Sri Lanka.

Quick single: Australia A storm to series win over SA

The 22-year-old impressed Smith during his short time with the senior squad in Colombo prior to the first Test in Galle, and says he has been developing his own ‘straight’ ball that skids straight on, much like the ‘slider’ legendary leg-spinner Shane Warne employed an the back end of his celebrated career.

"I’ve been watching a bit of the (Sri Lanka) Test series and it seems like sometimes the bowler doesn’t even know if it’s going to turn or not, just with the angle of the spin on the ball,” Swepson said.

"It reacts differently depending on what side of the ball it hits.

"It’s a ball I definitely used a lot while I was over there in India and Sri Lanka.

"I don’t think it has the same impact over here in Australia but it’s still definitely a useful ball to have.

"It’ll probably go straight-on more on Australian pitches but sometimes turns over there on the subcontinent wickets."

Highlights: Australia A sweep South Africa A

Like Warne, who it seemed almost annually declared the addition of a new ‘mystery ball’ to his arsenal, Swepson has a deep bag of tricks ready to bamboozle opposing batsman.

Well, not entirely ready.

“There’s definitely a few I’m more confident bowling than others,” he said.

“I probably can’t count them on the one hand. I’ve got a few there.

“That’s something I worked on over in Sri Lanka and India and I’ve been able to come back and test them out here.

“I’ve still got a bit of work to do on a few of them so that’s going to be my goal over the next couple of seasons and bring them out in (Sheffield) Shield cricket and things like that.”

One weapon Swepson possesses, but is yet to master, is the flipper.

Warne's World: Flipping excellent

The delivery, said to be invented by former Australian leg-spinner Clarrie Grimmett, is devastating when bowled accurately and efficiently, but has been relatively lost to world cricket since Warne had to abandon the ball after shoulder surgery late last century.

While Warne destroyed batting-orders with the flipper in the 1990s, don’t expect to see Swepson bowl it too often this summer.

"I think I did try it (the flipper) a few times in the Shield season (last year) but didn’t get wickets with it though," he said.

"Like I said, I’ve still got a bit of work to do on it."

Swepson played six Shield matches for the MyFoot Dr Queensland Bulls last summer, and aims to play in every four-day fixture in 2016-17.

Quick single: Lehmann mulls third Test changes

But the youngster knows just how close he is to national selection having watched his Australia A teammate Jon Holland get plucked from camp ahead of their first match in Brisbane last month and thrown into the melting pot of Test cricket.

"That’s obviously the goal for every cricketer – to play for your country," Swepson said.

"At the moment I’m just happy that I’ve been fortunate enough to play for Australia A in this series.

"I’m stoked to be able to do that and am happy that we did well.

"I’m happy with how it’s gone and I’m looking forward to having a good season with the Bulls and I guess you never know what can happen."