The last time South Australia lifted the Sheffield Shield, John Howard had been recently elected for the first time, and hero to moustache wearers and beer drinkers everywhere David Boon had just retired from Test cricket.
It was the stuff of script writers: the last-wicket pair of paceman Shane George and leg spinner Peter McIntyre held on for just under an hour on the fifth afternoon to deny a star-studded Western Australia line-up.
McIntyre did a half fist-pump, half jig. The crowd jumped the fence and ran on the field. They cheered. Autumn days in Adelaide are routinely spectacular, but this one was even sweeter. I know. I skipped lectures to be there.
That winning South Australia side had solid players: Tim May, Greg Blewett and last-hour hero McIntyre had represented their country. It was May’s last game and on that final afternoon he received a standing ovation from the members after batting for a hour and making a duck.
Jason Gillespie and Darren Lehmann would later get baggy greens, and Blewett and McIntyre would wear theirs again as well.
SA first-class cricket has lurched from one state of ignominy to the next over the following 19 seasons, with 10 wooden spoons to show for it. But what about the other role of domestic cricket sides – to produce Test cricketers?
Can the pain of perpetual failure at a state team level be offset by the contribution to the greater good?
Australia’s next Test after that Shield final was a one-off Test in India, our first visit to that country for a Test in 10 years. Since that Test, 91 players have represented Australia, including 75 debutants. Not surprisingly most are New South Wales players and unfortunately but not surprisingly, the fewest were playing for South Australia at the time of their highest honour. Eleven players have slipped on the baggy green while also having a SACA cap. However, it is actually fairly even between states (New South Wales aside, of course).
Perhaps the quality of SA’s fewer players is shown by a larger number of Test matches which they played? Sadly that isn’t true either. SA lags well behind as well with only a total of 177 Test appearances. South Australia also supplied the most one-Test players.
Not only does New South Wales produce a lot of Test cricketers, but they play a lot of cricket once they’re there.
The following table shows the number of Australian Test cricketers representing each state since April 1996 and the total number of Tests played (where players have represented more than one state, only the number of Tests played while representing that state has been included).
| State | Number of players | Number of Tests |
| New South Wales | 31 | 982 |
| Queensland | 14 | 326 |
| South Australia | 11 | 177 |
| Tasmania | 12 | 252 |
| Victoria | 16 | 274 |
| Western Australia | 15 | 444 |
As every researcher knows, if the data doesn’t much the intention, then express it as a rate of something.
So as SA has a relatively low population, the number of Test players per capita makes things look better. Well not much, thanks to Tasmania – and yes, their record owes a lot to one R.T. Ponting.
But where is SA’s 100 Test veteran to rival Tasmania’s Ponting, Queensland’s Matthew Hayden, New South Wales’ Glenn McGrath, Victoria’s Shane Warne or Western Australia’s Justin Langer?
Over the 19 seasons, coaches have come along with all the right words and then were inevitably terminated after yet another season of failure. Captains have been appointed and unceremoniously dumped.
Alongside this has been an array of bizarre recruitments, including three overseas would-be saviours. Players have left. Mark Cosgrove went to Tasmania and has won two Shield titles. Michael Klinger was welcomed to Western Australia by Langer and is playing in the Shield final. On the opposite side is former SA teammate Dan Christian. One will be a Shield winner.
Mention Ryan Harris to any SA cricket devotee. As much as every Test wicket he takes is cheered, deep inside the SA fan hears ‘we didn’t offer him a contract’.
And here we are at the end of season 2014-2015, another wooden spoon, another captain dumped mid-season, the coach is gone, and there are no Australian Test representatives. There are already rumblings about another messiah coach being appointed. Players will come and go during the off season, there will be all the right words said, but it will be the same old merry-go-round.
Too many grade teams, too big a gap between first class and grade cricket, wickets too flat. Probably all true. But after 19 years of the same mediocrity, the problems are deeper than on-field and unless that off-field is completely overhauled, then the same results will occur.
And as one of Australia’s best songwriters wrote, “I’ve had a bellyful of livin’ on that same old merry-go-round.”
Matt
Roar Rookie
Ferguson's cast off from ODIs was unbelievable, considering who else was getting the nod before him.
Matt
Roar Rookie
Are you sure about Harris being born and bred in NSW? I was pretty sure he was born in Sydney but reared in Gawler... Everything else you raised is pretty spot on. The effect of the Oval is an interesting one, does it make for a more brittle kind of batsman (even though I would argue that many other grounds around Australia play as flat as Adelaide)? The selectors certainly think so. However as you pointed out, why is the inverse not true for bowlers? Sayers spent a good 2 years being unplayable at Adelaide Oval, no small feat for a medium pacer. SA has this strange ability to produce eccentric players but revered coaches, the latest ones (Lehmann and Gillespie) being possibly the best. Hopefully down the line these guys can do something great for SA cricket, although it's clear there's rot at the top in SA cricket. Boof certainly thinks so.
Jason Emms
Roar Rookie
Let's hope Head's first-class career is akin to Steve's Waugh test career, where at the start, he didn't make a ton for years, but then still averaged 50. Travis definately has talent but the madien 100 is becoming a bogey. I think Ludemann is a fair way behind in terms of higher selection. He had a couple of shoddy games at Glenelg late in the year behind the stumps, which is not the norm for him. Whiteman's has struggled a bit this year but Nevill must be next in line. Who knows if Ferg will be around for next season?
Trev
Guest
Sayers was probably unlucky to get injuried this season, very good bowler and would suit England, although he'd be battling Berhendorf for the same spot pretty much. Fergusons form with the bat deserves to be rewarded but again he seems to be behind Marsh and Voges. Head seems to be highly rated by SA but needs to start turning starts into big scores, Ludeman a good gloveman but lacks with the bat a bit like Manou did.
Trev
Guest
Points for working a Cold Chisel reference in there.
VivGilchrist
Guest
Sayers is tailor made for England but will get overlooked for some "tearaway" that will be useless in English conditions.
dan ced
Guest
Shits me off how many Redbacks players get overlooked for national duties. Klinger got shield player of the year 2 years in a row and didn't get a AUS game (even though he's Victorian).. hell he is still tearing it up in all forms but gets overlooked in favour of flaky incumbents. Sayers puts in two solid years of domination but gets overlooked in favour of Siddle :S Ferguson gets injured in an ODI and never makes it back into the team when proven failures like Shaun Marsh keep getting games. Tbh I'm more interested in who we recruit in the off season than who the coach ends up being. We need to replace Hughes with someone of similar calibre and replace McDonald with an all rounder who can play more than 2 games without getting injured. Lawford or Valente might be able to do that job, in which case 2 top notch batsmen would be nice to add to the squad.
Shane Jones
Roar Guru
Matt raises the big point here... So many of our players are overlooked when they hit form. Ferguson, Cooper and Sayers are three in the last 18 months that could have gotten a call up. Unfortunately for SA, the stats gets worse. In the last 10 years we have had 4 players born in SA represent Australia in just 6 tests. (Ryan Harris was born and bred in NSW) Since 2009 we have had just one player who now plays for Queensland. I can't put my foot on the problem. We have made plenty of changes to Grade cricket, for no results. I honestly think the issue is culture. We have a solid squad, a squad capable of beating most of these teams. Unfortunately this team just seems to self destruct when pressure is put on them. Look at how many collapses they had this season. That ain't good enough for state cricket. I believe Gillespie would be a big appointment. He would instill culture and pride in the Baggy Red, like Lehmann, and put some belief in the players. They need it after a horror 12 months. Let's not forget that these guys dealt with: Phil Hughes, Strikers capitulation in semi final, and sudden departure of Darren Berry. Bit hard for a team to rebound. Let's hope SACA make the right decision this time.. They need it.
Rellum
Roar Guru
There is clearly some major behind the scenes issues in S.A. cricket that I can't see any real efforts to fix. Maybe bring Dizzy back to coach? I am not familiar with the S.A. grade scene but Brisbane doesn't haver that many grade sides and I wouldn't say we have produced that many internationals either.
Matt
Roar Rookie
And the best player who didn't get to 50 tests, Darren Lehmann. How he was overlooked so often was unbelievable.
Bearfax
Guest
The sad loss of Phil Hughes this Shield season did much to destroy any hope South Australia had of competing for the crown. He was such a dominant light in their side, that their flame was virtually extinguished when he passed away. Doesnt explain South Australia's long term woes of the past, but does go someway in explaining this years failure.
Harvey Wilson
Roar Rookie
South Australia did have one of the best shield players to never play test cricket though, Jamie Siddons.
sheek
Roar Guru
Interestingly Jason, Some of Australia's better captains have come from South Australia - George Giffin, Joe Darling, Clem Hill, Vic Richardson & Ian Chappell. Although Chappelli, one of the best evercaptains, last captained Australia in the mid-70s. Don Bradman captained Australia after moving from NSW to SA, while Greg Chappell, a SA product, became Australian captain after moving to Queensland. Current national cricket coach Darren Lehmann is a SA local product. Throughout most of my history following Australian cricket (since mid-60s), SA has rarely fielded more than one or two players in the national team on a consistent basis. SA won five Shield titles in 19 years, 1963/64, 1968/69, 1970/71, 1975/76 & 1981/82, which must have felt like a golden era to Croweater fans. Some great captains there too - Les Favell (1963/64 & 68/69), Ian Chappell (1970/71 & 75/76) & David Hookes (1981/82). Admittedly West Indian Gary Sobers in 1863/64 & South African Barry Richards in 1970/71, were massive contributors to the respective Shield titles. I suppose you could argue that historically SA are only good for one Shield title, sometimes two, per decade. That's about their productivity level. Of course, it isn't always about winning titles but producing test quality players, & as you point out, this is where SA has really fallen down in the past 30 years. Since the mid-80s, the only standout SA test players have been Greg Blewett, Jason Gillespie & the afore-mentioned Lehmann. I wouldn't consider Shaun Tait to be an elite test player. You could argue the case for Tim May. We should hope that SA can turn things around in the near future.