Whisper it but Australia's spin cycle has produced a promising leggie in James Muirhead

THE discovery of a promising leg-spinner is always a poignant moment for Australian cricket.

James Muirhead prepares to rip a leggie as non-striker Joss Buttler gets ready to back up.

THE discovery of a promising leg-spinner is always a poignant moment for Australian cricket.

Excitement, caution, expectation and a sense of mystery all wrestle with each other as officials become a bit like a father who thinks his son can play but are almost too scared to say it.

There have been so many false starts ... most experiments fail. Melbourne-based 20-year-old James Muirhead, however, showed poise beyond his years during the Twenty 20 series against England.

On Sunday in Sydney he produced a provocative punchline to the domestic international summer when he bowled Stuart Broad and got Tim Bresnan stumped.

His bowling looked handy but what really left a mark on his skipper was his attitude, especially given he has played just two first class matches.

Baby-faced yet bold, Muirhead told captain George Bailey he wanted the mid-off and mid-on brought in closer when many men of his spinning trade (good morning Graeme Swann) traditionally banish them to the fence at the first hint of aggression.

News_Image_File: Muirhead also took a fine outfield catch to dismiss England opener Alex Hales at ANZ Stadium.

This sort of bravado is just what you want to hear because if a leg-spinner cannot be courageous and prepared to wear a few bruises, he has nothing.

Nurturing a leggie - or any spinner - is always more complicated than it seems. Australia has had 13 spin bowlers play at Test level since Shane Warne retired seven years ago, including nine who played four Tests or fewer and three - Bryce McGain, Michael Beer and Beau Casson - who played once and were never invited back.

All of these men could bowl but none, bar Stuart MacGill, were outstanding. Many spun out because of high expectations, poor management, brittle self-esteem, lack of patience by the selectors and the fact that they were simply not that good.

Many were haunted by the deflating knowledge that no matter what they tossed up it looked as cheap as a roadhouse hamburger compared to the fine dining experience provided by the great Warne.

But things have changed for Muirhead and the men who follow him. The measuring stick is no longer the incomparable Warne but the very comparable men who were scorched by Warne's slipstream.

News_Rich_Media: England's shocking tour of Australia has come to an end, with the tourists falling 84 runs short of Australia's first innings total of 195-6.

The memory of having a leg-spinner who could terrorise sides on day one of a Test match has grown dim and been replaced by the reality that the craft is so difficult that just being reasonable is an achievement in itself.

Young spin bowlers only have to beat the bat a couple of times to get people excited ... sometimes too excited.

When Ashton Agar was rushed into the first Test from outside the squad in England we declared him the next long-term poster boy of Australian cricket after his incredible debut 98 plus a couple of first Test wickets.

Yet he played just one more Test before being dropped and left the tour early. Jason Krejza took 12 wickets in his first Test in India but was given just one more Test and never played again.

It just doesn't pay to make predictions but Muirhead looks a fine prospect.

Let's not get too excited, though.

History has taught us that when it comes to spin bowling it's a long way to the top if you want to flick and roll.