Despite holding off a surging Western Australian side to win the 2014-15 Sheffield Shield, the Victorian Bushrangers are due for a revamp.
The process was already underway before the final commenced, with Cricket Victoria announcing coach Greg Shipperd would not have his contract renewed.
This signalled the end to a highly successful era, although Victorian cricket has also arguably been synonymous with underachievement at times during this period.
While the Shipperd-Simon Helmot combination was strong for most of their coaching tenure, cracks had begun to appear in recent years. The failure of Aaron Finch to develop into a Shield mainstay reflects poorly on his now former Victorian coaches, who should wear some of the blame for his lack of four-day progress.
The bizarre recruiting of Daniel Christian, a player the woeful Redbacks were willing to jettison, has certainly hindered the progress of young all-rounder Alex Keath. Keath has performed strongly in limited opportunities to date, and may be lost to Victorian cricket if he is not given an extended run next season.
The potential return of Matthew Wade to the Australian setup next summer could ironically present Peter Handscomb with an opportunity to challenge for the top job, should his strong batting form continue.
Meanwhile, the likely retirements of Chris Rogers and David Hussey, along with the probable departure of former skipper Cameron White, will provide plenty of opportunities for the next crop of batsmen to prove themselves.
The batting group appears likely to be anchored by a resurgent Rob Quiney, whose strong finish to the season bodes well for coming years.
Bowling wise, Fawad Ahmed’s devastating first innings spell in the final has rocketed him into contention for the forthcoming Windies and Ashes tours. The challenge of juggling the twin spin talents of Ahmed and John Holland will be a happy headache for the new coach, who may be a bowler himself. Throw in a rejuvenated Peter Siddle, and the bowling cupboard is looking well stocked.
With David Saker finishing his stint as English bowling coach to take over the reins as Renegades’ boss, Tony Dodemaide and his cohorts will no doubt give the burly former quick the opportunity to interview for the vacant state coaching role.
Personally, I would prefer to see separate coaches for the Bushrangers and the two Victorian T20 franchises. After five fraught years of underachievement, ego balancing and internal politics between the Stars, Renegades and Cricket Victoria, there sorely needs some distance between the state and T20 sides.
Rather than a tear down, let’s hope Cricket Victoria bring in a younger coach who can continue the culture of winning built by Shipperd and Helmot following the tragic loss of David Hookes.
There are plenty of quality players in the current Victorian setup. The right coach will be able to harness these resources, and develop younger players coming through, with plenty more trophies to be added to the cabinet in coming years.
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