Thrust under an unexpected Ashes spotlight, rookie Australian spinner Michael Beer is stumped by his shock selection for the third Ashes cricket test against England starting in Perth next Thursday.
With just five first class matches under his belt, the left-arm orthodox spinner was plucked out of obscurity for the unenviable job of combating the in-form English batsman, a task that proved beyond his predecessor Xavier Doherty.
The 26-year-old Beer has taken only 16 first class wickets at an average of just under 40 since he moved from Victoria to Western Australia.
Australia's decision to ignore off-spinner Nathan Hauritz and Doherty's failure to make any impact in the first two tests, prompted Beer's former St Kilda club team mate Shane Warne to tip the youngster for a test spot.
