“We’re searching at the top, but the growth gets stunted down below”

South African cricket is constantly searching for its next wrist-spinner – but Paul Adams believes the problem may not be finding them.

It may be keeping them in the game long enough to develop.

The former Proteas spinner and current Cricket South Africa high-performance coach joined the CFM Weekly show to discuss why South Africa produces so few wrist-spinners and what needs to change within the development system.

According to Adams, young wrist-spinners can already be found at junior level.

“When I run clinics or go and watch Under-11 and Under-13 cricket, there are young wrist-spinners out there,” Adams said.

“The whole thing is about the environment they’re in and how we nurture them, because it’s one of the hardest arts to bowl.”

Young spinners often develop later as they become physically stronger and learn to control the ball. Before reaching that point, however, they can be punished by bigger batters and quickly removed from the attack.

“They might bowl one over, get hit and the coach takes them off,” Adams explained.

“We shouldn’t be looking at the result too often. We should be encouraging them to continue bowling.”

This creates a contradiction within South African cricket. Professional teams want wrist-spinners, particularly in the T20 game, but the patience required to develop them is not always provided at junior level.

“Every professional team is looking for a wrist-spinner,” Adams said.

“But we stunt the growth below. We’re searching at the top, but the growth gets stunted down below because of the chase for results early instead of enjoyment, fun and development.”

Adams also spoke about his accidental introduction to wrist-spin, teaching himself to bowl a googly, what he looks for when assessing young spinners and how players such as Nqaba Peter can continue developing their game.

The conversation also explored the CSA National Academy, the role of technology and mental preparation, mystery spin, coaching education and the opportunities young spinners need to progress through the system.

Watch the full CFM Weekly conversation with Paul Adams below to discover what South African cricket must do to develop its next generation of spinners.