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Who would you choose in your Sheffield Shield team of the 2013/14 season? I have analysed the standout players in the competition this summer and picked my ideal line-up.
1. Phil Hughes (SA) – 597 runs at 54 from six matches.
The much-maligned opener had his Shield campaign interrupted by the Test tour of South Africa, on which he was merely a bystander.
It was his prolific start to the State season which earned him this berth, with three tons, including a double, before Christmas.
Hughes remains the most consistently damaging batsmen in the competition, despite his inability to conquer Test attacks.
2. Ryan Carters (NSW) – 789 runs at 56 from eight matches.
The 23-year-old ‘keeper turned specialist batsman was the shock performer of the season.
After struggling to cement his place in the Victorian side he shifted to NSW in the off-season, gave up the gloves and became an opening batsman.
Carters’ outstanding summer was kick-started by a compelling performance for the Cricket Australia Chairman’s XI against England in November.
His double of 93 and 40 against an attack featuring Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Steven Finn and Boyd Rankin clearly filled him with confidence.
Carters has now joined Hughes, Jordan Silk and Joe Burns as the leading candidates to replace ageing Australian opener Chris Rogers when he retires from the Test side.
3. Marcus North (WA) – 884 runs at 68 in nine matches.
North was lucky to even be in the Western Australia Shield side at the start of this summer. The veteran batsman had been in awful touch, registering just 539 runs at 23 over the previous two Shield seasons as WA floundered.
At 34 years old it appeared his professional career was all but over. But the former Test batsman rebounded with authority to be arguably the best player in the competition this season.
His resurgence has led to calls for him to be reinstated to the Test side.
Given he is soon to be 35 years old, and the Australian team is already packed with veterans, that seems highly unlikely.
4. Tom Cooper (SA) – 881 runs at 52 in 10 matches.
The Dutch international was firmly on the radar of the Australian selectors two years ago.
A stylish strokemaker, he had plundered 938 runs at 55 in first-class cricket during the 2011-12 summer.
Cooper made a resounding impression against the touring Indian side that season, caning 182 not out at a run-a-ball against a strong five-man attack.
But just as positions opened up in the Australian Test side last summer, due to the retirements of Ricky Ponting and Mike Hussey, Cooper’s game fell apart.
He lost his place in the South Australia Shield side after returning just 43 runs at an average of 7 in three games. He should now be back in the minds of the selectors.
5. Peter Forrest (Queensland) – 823 runs at 69 from 10 matches.
Similar to Cooper, Forrest was in contention for a Test berth before falling well back in the pecking order thanks to a shocking 2012-13 season.
After a stint in the Australian ODI team and a stellar debut Shield season for Queensland in 2011-12, Forrest looked on track to earn a baggy green.
Then he faltered, averaging just 19 with the blade over 11 Shield matches last summer.
At 28 years old Forrest is in the prime of his career and may yet get a chance at Test cricket.
6. Adam Voges (WA) – 762 runs at 59 from eight matches.
Unlike Cooper and Forrest, Voges’ dreams of playing Test cricket have surely been extinguished.
He was rated an outside chance to make the Ashes squad for the home series in the wake of a string of influential efforts at ODI level.
Like his teammate North, Voges turns 35 this year. With Australia likely to try to revitalise their ageing side over the next two years, it appears his time has passed.
But he remains an integral member of the Warriors’ line-up, offering class and composure in the middle order.
7. Sam Whiteman (WA) – 675 runs at 48 from 10 matches.
Along with Carters and Behrendorff, very few people would have tipped Whiteman pre-season to be in this team of the year.
The 21-year-old entered the summer with the goal of solidifying his place in the WA side.
Now, thanks to his neat keeping and consistent batting, he is one of the favourites to succeed Brad Haddin as the gloveman in the Australian Test side.
8. James Hopes (Queensland) – 38 wickets at 24 and 389 runs at 32 from nine matches.
One of the most underrated first-class cricketers in the country, Hopes constructed yet another fine Shield season this year.
The veteran all-rounder rose to the challenge of being a first-choice new ball bowler, bowling with great economy and skill.
He continued to add handy runs in the middle order and will compete strongly for the Shield player of the year award.
9. Steve O’Keefe (NSW) – 40 wickets at 20 from nine matches.
O’Keefe may be on the nose with the Australian selectors for whatever reason. But he is probably the first player picked in the New South Wales side.
The left-arm tweaker completed the finest Shield campaign by a spin bowler in many seasons.
He led the wicket-taking table in the competition and, in the process, has once again made a compelling case for inclusion in Australia’s next Test squad.
To further underline his case, he arguably outbowled Test spinner Nathan Lyon in the four Shield matches in which they played together.
10. Chadd Sayers (SA) – 36 wickets at 28 from 10 matches.
Sayers had the second highest average among the top 10 wicket takers, behind only his teammate Johan Botha.
But his returns were particularly impressive given he was based on the country’s most benign deck at Adelaide Oval.
The canny swing merchant was unlucky to miss out on Australia’s Test tour of South Africa.
With Ryan Harris nearing the end of his career and Peter Siddle losing his bite, Sayers could soon find himself donning a baggy green.
11. Jason Behrendorff (WA) – 34 wickets at 22 from seven matches
The left-arm swing bowler from the ACT has formed a potent new-ball pairing with Michael Hogan, who was unlucky to miss out on this team of the season after nabbing 33 wickets at 25.
Behrendorff is a natural strike bowler, as demonstrated by the fact his strike rate of 43 was comfortably the best among the top 20 wicket takers in the Shield.
While he doesn’t boast the consistent 140kph-plus pace famously favoured by Australian coach Darren Lehmann, at just 23 years old Behrendorff looks to have an international career ahead of him.