Promising batsman Jason Sangha has become the youngest ever cricketer to be awarded a rookie contract with New South Wales.
NSW announced their contract list for the 2016-17 season, with Sangha, Arjun Nair and Chris Green highlighting the young talent coming through the state’s ranks.
Sangha, who is currently aged 16 years and 233 days, went from representing the NSW Under-15s schoolboys team to being selected for Cricket Australia’s Invitational sides for both Under-17s and Under-19s in the space of the 2015-16 season.
He also became the youngest player in more than 90 years to represent the Blues in a Second XI match when he was selected in for the Blues in a Futures League match in February.
A year 11 student at Hunter Sports High, Sangha becomes just the third player to receive a contract from NSW while still in high school, following in the footsteps of Josh Hazlewood and Jake Doran. Hazlewood and Doran were both in year 12 when they received their Blues contracts.
Arjun Nair, the young off-spinner who learnt to bowl the carrom-ball from watching YouTube videos, has been offered a full state contract. Nair made his debut for the Blues aged just 17, when he was selected to play South Australia in Round 8 of the recently-concluded Sheffield Shield season.
Chris Green has been given a rookie contract, after emerging as a key player in the Sydney Thunder’s Big Bash-winning squad.
The Blues will begin pre-season training in June.
Cricket Australia Contract
Pat Cummins
Josh Hazlewood
Peter Nevill
Nathan Lyon
Steve Smith
Mitchell Starc
David Warner
Cricket NSW Contract
Sean Abbott
Doug Bollinger
Ryan Carters
Harry Conway
Trent Copeland
Ed Cowan
Ben Dwarshuis
Ryan Gibson
Daniel Hughes
Moises Henriques
Josh Lalor
Nick Larkin
Jay Lenton
Nic Maddinson
Arjun Nair
Stephen O’Keefe
Kurtis Patterson
Ben Rohrer
Gurinder Sandhu
Will Somerville
Cricket NSW Rookie Contract
Mickey Edwards
Chris Green
Liam Hatcher
Jonte Pattison
Jason Sangha
Henry Thornton
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Yes, if including those from NSW playing elsewhere then you have to remove those in NSW from elsewhere. It's still an impressive first XL NSW team. However, it's also one of the reasons NSW often struggles at state level, because they lose so many of their best players. Very rarely will the first XI actually play a Shield game together. The way to do well in the Shield is produce lots of players who are almost international level, but not quite, so you get to keep them!
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Probably just about the equivalent of Work Cover. If you get injured at work your company aren't allowed to just decide that you are now a liability and sack you, you keep getting paid during rehab and they need to find ways to get you back into work that your able to do. It's generally covered by insurance, as injuries like this to Australian players would be too. Cummins CA contract may basically be payed by insurance companies until he's back healthy and playing again.
jamesb
Guest
Yep, Nevill is a Victorian. As a blue bagger, we shouldn't claim him. Just like Shane Watson.
Nudge
Guest
Reckon Neville is originally from Vic
Fox
Roar Guru
Age should not get in the way of raw talent. If he is good enough then good on him and the sooner such players are surrounded by top coaches who can get rid of flaws in their technique rather than later, all the better.
Peter
Guest
Hope that A team is for one day cricket, Pat Cummins hasn't bowled in long format cricket for about 3 years...very lucky to be cashing in for so long with no return. And, let's put Copeland at 7 and Abbott at 8 this season, purely based on last season and application at the crease!
jameswm
Roar Guru
As do Qld and Vic. But who are our best 3 test batsmen? Where are they from? Who is our best keeper and where is he from? Who is our best spinner and where is he from? Who are our best quicks? Starc, Hazlewood, Cummins and Pattinson. 3/4 from NSW. I'd say right now 8/9 of our best test players are from NSW (or originally from NSW, in Khawaja's case). That's incredible. Marsh and Burns are next. On current form actually Voges would be in the top group, so make it 8 out of 10.
Tom from Perth
Guest
WA does all right too mate ;)
Nudge
Guest
And you could probably throw in at least a half dozen from other states that come from NSW's. Zampa khawaja, Doran, Christian, Silk off the top of my head. If their was no such thing as NSW's we would seriously struggle to beat NZ. I'm not from NSW's either before someone jumps up and down.
JoM
Roar Rookie
Forgot to add rhat in the preseason games last year he played a few of those for NSW. Against Victoria top scored and had no great trouble with Pattinson and the rest of the Vic bowlers. Has a lot of ability.
JoM
Roar Rookie
Yes. Top order bat and bowls a bit of spin. Used to be a fast (well kind of) bowler but wasn't going to be quick enough. Two seasons ago he scored centuries for fun. Last season he scored I think 2 double centuries back to back if I remember correctly. Doesn't talk himself up and a great family.
jamesb
Guest
Is Ryan Gibson any good?
jameswm
Roar Guru
Some very exciting prospects, but imagine putting those lists together. The A team is basically the Aussie bowling lineup. A TEAM 1. David Warner 2. Ed Cowan 3. Steve Smith 4. Nic Maddinson 5. Kurtis Patterson 6. Peter Nevill 7. Moises Henriques 8. Mitchell Starc 9. Pat Cummins 10. Josh Hazlewood 11. Nathan Lyon B TEAM 1-4 - not sure . 5. Ben Rohrer 6. Ryan Carters (wk) 7. Sean Abbott 8. Trent Copeland 9. Stephen O’Keefe 10. Gurinder Sandhu 11. Doug Bollinger
JoM
Roar Rookie
And my favourite out of the lot, Ryan Gibson, has been offered a full contract. So well deserved for him and he is the same age as Chris Green, 22.