The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

Southern Redbacks vs Victorian Bushrangers: Sheffield Shield cricket scores

14th February, 2016
Venue: Adelaide Oval
Start: 2:30pm (AEDT)
Streaming: Live, cricket.com.au

South Australia squad: Travis Head (c), Nick Benton, Tom Cooper, Mark Cosgrove, Jake Lehmann, Tim Ludeman, Joe Mennie, Sam Raphael, Alex Ross, Cameron Valente, Daniel Worrall, Adam Zampa.

Victoria squad: Matthew Wade (c), Fawad Ahmed, Scott Boland, Dan Christian, Travis Dean, Peter Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell, Clint McKay, Rob Quiney, Jake Reed, Marcus Stoinis, Chris Tremain
Matt Wade could become a specialist bat. (AFP / Glyn Kirk)
Roar Guru
14th February, 2016
2
1054 Reads

It’s a top of the table clash as Victoria takes on old rivals South Australia at the historical Adelaide Oval in yet another day-night fixture. Join The Roar for score updates from 2:30pm (AEDT).

We are officially past the half-way point of the season and with four games to go five out of the six teams are well and truly in the mix, while Tasmania would need a lot of luck to make the final. The Bushrangers have virtually been unstoppable this season, losing just one match and sitting seven points clear at the top of the ladder.

Victoria will welcome back a plethora of International stars as Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Wade, Marcus Stoinis and Scott Boland are now available following the end of the ODI series against New Zealand.

Star bowlers James Pattinson and Peter Siddle depart the line-up due to Test duties, as do Cameron White, Sam Harper and Ian Holland.

The Return of Matthew Wade will see Peter Handscomb demoted to first slip as he hands over the gloves to the elder statesman.

The Redbacks’ hopes of breaking a 20-year title drought were dealt a major blow on Friday after news broke regarding a back injury to paceman Kane Richardson. The 25-year-old hurt his back in the opening ODI match in New Zealand and has since been ruled out for the remainder of the Sheffield Shield campaign.

That will mean that South Australia are now without both Richardson and Chad Sayers (Test duties) for the critical home fixture, leaving plenty of pressure on the likes of Daniel Worrall, Joe Mennie and youngster Nick Benton.

Leg-spinner Adam Zampa returns to the side after being released from International duties.

Advertisement

The Bushrangers will be hoping young sensation Travis Dean can continue his fine form at the top of the order alongside seasoned veteran Rob Quiney. The 24-year-old leads the Victorians for runs in his first season, with 490 at an average of 61.25.

Rosy red cheeks Chris Tremain will be pivotal in this contest, especially with pink ball in hand. It will be interesting to see how the new updated version of the Pink Kookabura goes, but generally speaking, it swings fairly early and it is important to cash in early. Tremain has taken 17 wickets this season at an average of 15.58 and may just find himself causing a fair bit of trouble for the left-handed Mark Cosgrove.

Despite sitting second on the table, the Redbacks have failed to find any consistency at the top of the order with the likes of Alex Ross, Travis Head and Tom Cooper struggling for form.

Jake Lehmann has been phenomenal for South Australia since debuting last year. In three matches this campaign, the son of a gun has notched up two centuries at an average of 71. His performance in last week’s loss was simply breathtaking, managing to ease his way to 126 despite everyone else collapsing around him.

Prediction
On paper, the Victorian squad is remarkably stronger than the junior Redbacks and yes on paper they should certainly win. In saying that it will be interesting to see how the Bushrangers adapt to playing with the pink-ball at Adelaide Oval for the first time.

Join The Roar for score updates from 2:30pm (AEDT).

close