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With the inaugural Ryobi Cup carnival done and dusted, it’s time to reflect on the performances that kept a surprisingly large number of viewers coming back for more.
Looking beyond the inexorably tedious question of whether the format will remain the same in coming years, there were plenty of positives to be taken.
The bowling, generally speaking, was very much on top of the batting early on in the piece on the slower, lower decks.
Bankstown in particular proved difficult to score from in the early engagements, meaning much of the cricket played was more attritional than attractive.
North Sydney Oval, however, presented a completely different test case. Scores of above 300 were churned out as easily as Russell Brand does a witty trope.
And on the subject of the smallest ground in the cricketing universe, let’s have a look at the best with the bat:
Winners with the willow
David Warner: A player who might be known to you, Warner certainly took a liking to the smallest ground in the competition.
He took the Queensland attack apart on his way to 139, the innings that prompted certain columnists to assert he had blown a guaranteed double ton.
In reality, blowing the double century wouldn’t come until later.
He then proceeded to thrash John Hastings, Peter Siddle, Scott Boland and Dan Christian around the postage stamp on Miller street on his way to 138 and 197 in the space of five days.
Warner’s epic 197 epitomised his value to any team: he’s a match winner.
Chasing an imposing Bushrangers total of 321, Warner looked completely untroubled until his search for a boundary that would have sealed his 200, and the game, brought him unstuck.
His 138 was similar. He never looked threatened by the bowling until a piece of daft shot-making in the form of an attempted switch hit made him appear incredibly foolish.
Without Warner’s three centuries, NSW would never have made the final. The feisty lefty will now be hard to leave out of the first Test at the Gabba.
Cameron White: The former Bushrangers skipper was back to his best during the 2013 edition of the Ryobi Cup, and will be unlucky to miss out on a one-day or Twenty20 berth in the home summer.
He was the model of consistency and selflessness: his scores of 86, 82*, 51, 76, 50 and 42 attest to that.
‘The Bear’ was controversially awarded the player of the tournament award, with many punters thinking Warner’s three brutish innings were enough to get him over the line.
While Warner may have scored more runs, White did the hard yards early in the tournament on bigger grounds and less helpful decks.
The best bit of all was that White was back to doing what he does best: clearing his front leg and whacking it miles over mid-wicket.
He surely now owns the record for most balls lost at North Sydney Oval, after taking a liking to Nathan Lyon.
Whatever your state allegiances, White was a deserving winner of the player of the tournament award and we should see him in Aussie green this summer.
Usman Khawaja: Uzzi is another who might earn a shot in the Aussie pyjamas after yet another string of quality knocks at domestic level.
A frustrating enigma on the international stage, Khawaja showed the pedigree and skill we all know so well, looking every bit as elegant as he always does on his way to being second top run scorer for the comp.
His 426 runs at an average of 71 came in the form of four half centuries, including an unbeaten 88, and a marvellous ton in the final that earned him man of the match honours.
As always, he was so good to watch. If a silky left hander can’t get a cricket fan’s juices flowing, then not much can.
His annoying propensity to get out just after his half century seemed to be conquered by the end of the tournament, but whether his glut of runs with be enough to win over Test selectors is another thing altogether.
Who bowled best?
Andrew Tye: While I hadn’t seen much of Tye before the competition started, his rise to the top of the wicket-taking leaderboard (to be taken over by Sean Abbott after the finals) made WA fixtures of much more interest to me.
With a slightly round-arm action, and a bit more zip than you might expect, Tye edged out good players early on in the piece and showed good death bowling skills to weasel out tail-enders.
It will be interesting to see how he goes with a red cherry in his hand at Shield level. His outswinger will become more prominent and his control will be tested.
Tye impressed me as a first-time viewer and it will be interesting to see how he goes over the rest of the summer.
Jon Holland: For a spinner, bowling against David Warner, Steve Smith, Nic Maddinson and Peter Nevill on North Sydney Oval is not an attractive proposition.
Just ask poor Nathan Lyon, who was traumatized by Cameron White, Matthew Wade, David Hussey and Dan Christian.
Holland showed impressive control and variation to be the best of the Victorian bowlers in their two fixtures against the Blues, as well as the destroyer against Western Australia, where he took 4/48, again at North Sydney.
The left arm spinner wasn’t afraid to give it air and got his reward, with batsmen never able to settle against him.
26-year-old Holland snagged 12 wickets at a tick over 27, but more importantly his overs only cost 4.82 on average, very good reading.
It was the sort of performance that will put pressure on incumbent left armer Xavier Doherty for the coming international limited overs games, so don’t be surprised if Holland’s name comes up.
All-round achievement award:
Ben Cutting: Cutting did his Ashes chances no harm at all with his displays over the last month.
We all know Cutting has the ability to hit a long ball, displayed most prominently in his 98* from 48 balls to almost single-handedly give the Bulls an early win over Victoria.
This is not to discount his 41* from 21 balls in the final; clean hitting in that sort of pressure situation only improves his international prospects.
But perhaps most importantly for Big Ben were his 10 wickets at a smidgeon under 30.
Although outdone in the latter stages by his ever-impressive teammate Ryan Harris, Cutting bowled with good pace and nip early on.
His ability to take the ball away from left handers from his height could see him gain selection in the Ashes opener at the Gabba, depending on his performances in the first three Sheffield Shield games.
So there’s my take on the winners out of the 2013 Ryobi Cup. Next time, the losers!
Follow Paddy on Twitter @PatrickEffeney
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