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The Sheffield Shield starts tomorrow and with the Test wicketkeeping and number six spots up for grabs, the domestic competition will take centre stage for a change.
Patterson, Head, Burns, Marsh and Stoinis challenge for Ashes spot
On the face of it, the battle for Australia’s number six spot should be a straightforward contest between incumbents Glenn Maxwell and Hilton Cartwright, but that situation has been complicated by the fact there are three Sheffield Shield matches prior to the first Test.
This means the landscape could alter dramatically by the time the selectors choose the line-up for the first Ashes Test, which starts in 29 days.
Should Cartwright and Maxwell struggle, then any of Kurtis Patterson, Joe Burns, Shaun Marsh, Travis Head or Marcus Stoinis could vault themselves into the team with a dominant start to the comp.
Maxwell has a brilliant opportunity to press his claims tomorrow, with reports he will be promoted to bat in the top four against Tasmania. He deserves the chance to finally play a Test on a friendly home pitch, after playing all seven of his matches so far in Asia, but he has struggled for runs in all formats for the past six months and needs to light up the Shield to keep his Test spot.
AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi
Ed Cowan dropped by Steve Smith
Steve Smith admitted he had a say in Ed Cowan being dropped from the NSW team, despite Cowan being the reigning Steve Waugh Medallist as the state’s most outstanding player, with the Aussie skipper implying the decision was in the best interests of the national team.
Had Cowan been included in NSW’s 12-man squad for their match against South Australia on Friday, he would have squeezed out one of Kurtis Patterson, Nic Maddinson, Daniel Hughes or Moises Henriques.
At 35 years old, Cowan’s international career seems over, whereas Maddinson and Henriques recently played Tests, Patterson is a leading candidate, and Hughes at 28 years old has potential.
It’s a very tough decision for Cowan, who may well have to sit out the first three rounds of the Shield if Smith and David Warner play in each of those matches. Cowan has every right to be furious.
Matt Wade will kill off Tim Paine’s Test hopes
With the Test keeping position wide open, Tasmanian Tim Paine has been mentioned by Australia selector Mark Waugh as a dark horse for the Ashes.
When Waugh made this comment, I wondered whether he had forgotten that Wade had moved from Victoria to Tasmania in the off season. Wade will almost certainly take the gloves for his new side, which would make it extraordinary for Paine to be picked for the Ashes.
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Matt Renshaw needs runs
Renshaw will play in the first Ashes Test, but a string of low scores in the opening rounds of the Shield will weaken the 21-year-old’s grip on his spot.
Australia’s selectors have shown great impatience with Test batsmen recently, jettisoning the likes of Usman Khawaja and Joe Burns after brief form blips.
Renshaw’s last nine scores in Test cricket are 22, 4, 5, 45, 8, 1, 15, 44 and 5 (a total of 149 runs at 16). The left hander then struggled in the One Day Cup, averaging just 25, while many other batsmen ran amok on the tournament’s flat decks.
Should he labour in the Shield, it will only further the perception that he is badly out of nick and thus enter the Ashes under heavy scrutiny.
Conversely, if Renshaw flourishes for Queensland over the next few weeks, it will release pressure. Australian fans will hope he can do just that as he shapes as a perfect long-term partner for Warner, complementing the dynamic vice-captain with his circumspect batting.
AAP Image/David Moir
WA’s pace stocks are amazing
Western Australia have a better battery of quicks than Sri Lanka, Bangladesh or the West Indies.
Nathan Coulter-Nile and Jason Behrendorff are expected to play against Tasmania in Perth tomorrow after their impressive performances for Australia in India. With Ashton Agar offering the spin option, WA are left to choose from just one of Simon Mackin, David Moody, Jhye Richardson and Cameron Green.
The 202cm Mackin has been extremely impressive in his brief first-class career, taking 69 wickets at 25, and would be the spearhead of the attack if he played for Queensland or Tasmania. Moody, at 22 and standing 195cm, also has enormous talent and snared 28 wickets at 31 last Shield season.
Then there’s 21-year-old Richardson and 18-year-old Green – two of the hottest young pace prospects in the nation. Richardson has only played one first-class match so far, taking 4-93, but has garnered praise for his sharp bowling in the Big Bash League and domestic One Day Cup.
Green, meanwhile, took 12 wickets at 18 from his three Shield matches last summer, including a stunning haul of 5-24 in his first innings.
And if left-arm quick Joel Paris was fit for selection, WA’s selectors would face an even trickier choice. Paris has obvious potential to develop into a quality international bowler.
WA are absolutely stacked with quicks.