The Matador Cup wrapped up yesterday with New South Wales hammering Queensland in the final. Here is my wrap of what was a fascinating tournament.
Surprise stars
Cameron Valente (SA) 15 wickets at 17, plus 162 runs at 32 (strike rate 92)
I found it very difficult to split Valente and Cameron White as my Player of the Tournament. What an unlikely situation that is considering that, just four weeks ago, Valente had never played a white-ball match for his State.
It is also unlikely in the sense that Valente is an unfashionable player – a seemingly innocuous medium pacer who bats at eight. To the naked eye (there are no speed guns in this competition) Valente appears to bowl in the very gentle 120kmh-130kmh range.
What made him effective was his accuracy and ability to employ subtle changes of pace and angle on the crease. Valente can bat too, as we learned from his run-a-ball 100 against Victoria after the Redbacks had collapsed to 5-35.
Marnus Labuschagne (Queensland) – 275 runs at 41 (strike rate 91)
A surprise winner of the Player of the Tournament award, considering he scored almost 200 runs less than White, Labuschagne was a solid presence for the Bulls in the middle order.
He showed fine versatility in this role, having made his name in domestic cricket as a grinding opener in the Sheffield Shield. Labuschagne ended the last Shield season with an impressive double of 103 and 52 and the 22-year-old will be a player to watch when red ball cricket restarts.
Jake Weatherald (SA) – 284 runs at 47 (strike rate 109)
The aggressive opening batsman had a sensational debut tournament for the Redbacks. Again and again, he provided his side with invaluable impetus in the opening 15 overs. Opposition pacemen quickly found they had little margin for error against the 22-year-old strokemaker, who plays shots all around the ground.
Arjun Nair (CA XI) 11 wickets at 23, plus 77 runs at 26 (strike rate 77)
Nair made a rapid rise through junior ranks thanks, in part, to his darted off spin. He made a point of bowling with greater loop in his first domestic one-day campaign and looked much better for it.
The 18-year-old has gained headlines in the past for his bag of tricks, which includes a carrom ball he learned to bowl by watching YouTube videos of Indian master spinner Ravi Ashwin.
Nair’s success this month, however, was built on his control of his stock delivery. I get the sense he is being fast-tracked – don’t be surprised if he debuts for Australia in limited overs cricket in the next year or so.
Underachievers
Jackson Bird (Tasmania) – four wickets at 71 from six matches
Bird has always been a better bowler with the red ball. But after the struggles of the new-look Australian ODI pace attack in South Africa, he had a chance to push his credentials ahead of a busy home summer for the national side. He missed that opportunity, bowling neatly but without any penetration.
Dan Christian (Victoria) – 70 runs at 12, plus three wickets at 46 from seven matches
The former Australian ODI all-rounder was very handy for Victoria in last summer’s domestic one-dayers, stepping up with bat and ball when required. That was not the case this year, with Christian repeatedly failing to have an impact at key moments as Victoria missed out on the final.
Kane Richardson (SA) – four wickets at 61 from four matches
Like Bird, Richardson had a perfect platform to launch himself back into the national setup with a strong tournament. Instead, he may have cruelled his chances of an ODI call-up this summer by leaking runs, conceding almost seven runs per over across the tournament.
Mitchell Swepson (Queensland) – four wickets at 53 from seven matches
There was a lot of hype around the 23-year-old leg spinner leading into this tournament after his standout efforts for Australia A in the winter against India A and South Africa A.
In his three-first class matches against those sides for Australia A, Swepson hauled in 14 wickets at an average of 20. Unafraid to toss the ball above the eyeline of batsmen, Swepson gets heavy revs on his deliveries.
This makes him a fine prospect in all three formats. But he struggled to string together dot balls in this domestic tournament.
Team of the tournament
1. Cameron White (Victoria) – 457 runs at 76 (strike rate 99)
2. Daniel Hughes (NSW) – 386 runs at 64 (strike rate 86)
3. Alex Doolan (Tasmania) – 362 runs at 121 (strike rate 97)
4. Adam Voges (Captain) (Western Australia) – 301 runs at 75 (strike rate 93)
5. Callum Ferguson (SA) – 305 runs at 61 (strike rate 110)
6. Moises Henriques (NSW) – 414 runs at 69 (strike rate 95) plus four wickets at 44
7. Tim Paine (TAS) – 217 runs at 43 (strike rate 79)
8. Cameron Valente (SA) 15 wickets at 17, plus 162 runs at 32 (strike rate 92)
9. Arjun Nair (CA XI) 11 wickets at 23, plus 77 runs at 26 (strike rate 77)
10. Pat Cummins (NSW) 15 wickets at 18
11. Doug Bollinger (NSW) 15 wickets at 23
12th man – Glenn Maxwell (VIC) 211 runs at 30 (strike rate 123) plus six wickets at 24.
Don Freo
Guest
It's because Pat Cummins is Test standard and world class. Cam White isn't.
Perry Bridge
Guest
The shield match starting today in Melbourne will tell much - with Bird and Siddle in action. Talk that Starc may be subbed out half way through the opener at the Gabba - makes you wonder whether he is actually a lock for the 1st test? Cummins looked good at times - although one particular over Finch made him look pedestrian!! Hard to read too much from Matador Cup. If Cam White isn't at the head of the batting queue then why should Cummins rocket to the head of the bowling queue?
Don Freo
Guest
He also opened...because he does. Have you followed his trajectory? His batting is part of the buzz around him. Decide he is a bunny with the bat if you want to, Ronan. Who knows what you are trying to argue here...and why.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
"Opened in the recent Matadors." Nair batted at 8 more often than he opened in the Matador Cup.
Don Freo
Guest
That's because of match situations at the end of last year. He is a top order batsman. Opened in the recent Matadors. Copeland and O'Keefe are tailenders. You know that.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Nair has never played for NSW as a top order batsman - he has batted way down at 10 and 9 in his two Shield games, both times below Copeland, who batted 8. (O'Keefe played neither game)
jamesb
Guest
Can't wait for Heazlett and Renshaw to play in the SS. Both exciting prospects.
Rellum
Roar Guru
They are injured along with Lynn and Stanlake.
Baz
Guest
Also with any other injury they would let u walk back out to bat. The head injury is super dangerous as u not thinking right.
Don Freo
Guest
Glad to see White miss out on Man of The Series after usurping Ussie last year. Vogesy just keeps on performing.
Don Freo
Guest
Nair is a top order batsman. He'd bat ahead of Copeland and O'Keefe.
BurgyGreen
Guest
Are Heazlett and Renshaw injured? They didn't play the Matador and aren't in Queensland's Round 1 Shield squad.
Rellum
Roar Guru
I think it has more to do with keeping Ch9's costs down, setting up in one spot for a bunch of games is much cheaper than setting up at a different venue each game. And since CA is paying for it they are going cheap.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Might depend how he goes in the 1 shield round before the first test. But it certainly doesn't help his cause. That being said, most of the guys who'd probably be ahead of him are probably not going to be considered as they are too soon after coming back from injury, guys like Cummins and Behrendorf, and even Siddle. I think Bird needs a pitch with a bit of assistance though. If we see flat roads rolled out all summer for the tests again, he's going to be cannon fodder.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
If they keep rolling out roads that give absolutely nothing for the bowlers, then having another real impact bowler like Cummins who can just make something happen out of nothing, will be needed. These steady bowlers who keep putting it on the spot and get a bit of seam movement can be useful if there's something around for the bowlers (like, take them to places like England), but in the pitches that have been rolled out in Australia lately, they just become like a bowling machine giving batting practice. In those conditions you need the real fast attacking bowlers to try and make something happen.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
I get that, but I think the difference is that they are making a rule saying the batsman isn't even allowed to decide to "play through pain" and go back out. Any other injury where they've retired hurt, if a match got close and they were at all able to do it they could make the decision to go back out to bat and try to get their team across the line, but in the case of concussions, CA have decided to let a doctor overrule the batsman and say he's not allowed to make the call to go back out. That's why it's different from a normal retired hurt scenario.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
The NRL also has specific rules brought in regarding concussions. A lot of sports have started bringing in rules specifically regarding head injuries after all the studies of the long term effects of head injuries among former NFL players in the US showed how severe they can be.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
I think a lot of the reason for it is trying to keep the costs down. Rather than flying teams around the country, they bring them to one place and pack in lots of games in a short space of time.
Rellum
Roar Guru
I don't know if my stomach could stand it if I said too much about how good NSW were. They weren't that great at the start of the comp. I wonder how much Warner, Smith and Starc wished there were out there playing instead of being forced to watch.
Henry
Guest
Not sure if you experts actually followed the cup! NSW played TWO debutants in the final because They werent allowed to play CA contracted players plus the Dan Hughes concussion. Cummins wasn't allowed play all the games and Hazlewood just 3 games . How about some credit for the style and quality of the cricket produced by NSW especially given all the distractions around them. Arjun Nair had already played Shield cricket.