A legspinner who can give the ball a good rip - with an increasing collection of highlight-grabbing dismissals - Mitchell Swepson was initially called into Australia's Test squad for the tour of India in early 2017 but a debut would have to wait another five years. His first selection came at a time when he had played only 14 first-class matches, but he had impressed with his wicket-taking ability in less than two full seasons of Sheffield Shield cricket.

In 2015-16, his debut Shield season for Queensland, Swepson took 17 wickets at 37.94 from six games, and he was rushed into the Australia A side for three first-class games against South Africa A and India A in 2016, collecting 14 wickets at 19.35. His development continued thereafter winning the admiration of Shane Warne through his performances for the Brisbane Heat in the BBL.

His international debut came in T20 cricket for Australia on the 2018 tour of England although that remained his only appearance for more than two years. Opportunities in Shield cricket for Queensland stalled due to the nature of the Gabba pitches but he was called up to Australia's squad for the Sydney Test against New Zealand in January 2020 as an option to partner Nathan Lyon. The following summer he took three consecutive five-wicket hauls at the start of the Shield season to cement his place in the Covid-enlarged Test squad as Lyon's understudy for the 2020-21 home series against India - a role he continued to perform the following season against England. Finally, a first cap came his way against Pakistan in Karachi when Australia employed a twin-spin attack although his early foray into Test cricket came with significant toil.
ESPNcricinfo staff