With a repeat of the NSW Blues V Western Warriors now confirmed for the Sheffield Shield final to be held in Canberra, and after stoic efforts from Victoria and Tasmania in the last round, and with Queenslandand South Australia falling at the final hurdle, this has been a magnificent season for Australian cricket.
Knocking off the Poms 5-0 and the Proteas 2-1 and winning T20 and 50 over contests at will has been a huge fillip for the game in this country.
And to underline just how great a season some players have had, here’s a list of people who currently cannot hope to make the Test XI in the next 12 months, injury notwithstanding.
Openers and number 3s : Ed Cowan, Aaron Finch, Marcus North, Joe Burns, Nic Maddinson, Rob Quiney, Michael Klinger, Usman Khawaja
Middle order: Shaun Marsh, Tom Cooper, Phil Hughes, Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, George Bailey, Travis Head
Wiketkeepers: Chris Paine, Sam Whiteman, Tim Ludeman
Quicks/All-rounders: Mitch Marsh, Jason Behrendorff, Josh Hazelwood, Doug Bollinger, Mitchell Starc, Jackson Bird, Pat Cummins, James Faulkner, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Kane Richardson, Sean Abbott, Michael Neser
Spinners: James Muirhead, Fawad Ahmed, Adam Zampa, Ashton Agar, Cameron Boyce, Ashton Turner
From that group we could make a second Test team.
1. North (vice captain) 2. Finch 3. Klinger 4. S Marsh 5. Hughes 6. Bailey (Captain) 7. Paine 8. Faulkner 9. Starc 10. Cummins 11. Behrendorff 12. Muirhead
There are some people in that 12 who have scores to settle and points to prove. James Muirhead could replace Faulkner in the line-up given suitable spinning conditions.
They are an older group, like the number one Test team, and that speaks to the Australian method of bringing people into Test cricket when they are mature enough to cope with the screaming and yelling of fast bowlers going beserk.
Notice how seamlessly Alex Doolan fitted in at three in the first Test team? He has the right mentality.
Players such as North, Finch, Klinger, Marsh and Hughes have failed to excel when given the opportunity. This is their chance. All have acquitted themselves well, but not well enough over time.
Marcus North, it must be said, has had one of the great seasons by an opener in Sheffield Shield history. He has propped up WA’s shaky top order and middle order countless times while averaging over 60.
Players such as David Lynn from the Bulls and Nic Maddinson from the Blues have age on their side. Doug Bollinger does not, but he has been a crackerjack worker for NSW and they are in the final in Canberra much in part to his leadership at the bowling crease.
As to the upcoming Shield final, Justin Langer and Trevor Bayliss have had shaky times trying to prop up WA’s batting and I daresay the result of the current game this week in Canberra might have been different had Steve Smith not propped up both innings for NSW.
That should boost WA’s stocks.
They only made this Shield final because Victoria held Queensland out on the final day. But after falling at the final hurdle last season, and actually taking a tumble against NSW by scoring just 82 in the first dig of the game just completed, Langer and Western Australia will be completely relieved to know they have a chance to win the title at all.
If Mitch Marsh recovers from his injury, if Coulter-Nile is available and if Langer is looking to steal a match on NSW, I would open with Shaun Marsh and North, pick either Mitch or Nathan or both, and drop Cam Bancroft, Ash Turner and Ryan Duffield.
One off games played at the opposition’s park call for thinking outside the box.
Batting first will decide the match. If WA can restrict NSW to less than 300, and post 450-500 in their first knock, spinners North and Agar and possibly Turner can be match winners.
It all depends upon how aggressive a stanec WA’s brittle batting takes.
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