Victoria recorded a three-peat, Aaron Finch belatedly blossomed as a long-form batsman, Hilton Cartwright pushed his Ashes credentials, and Chadd Sayers threatened the all-time wicket-taking record.
These are among a raft of stories to emerge out of the Sheffield Shield season, which ended late last week as Victoria claimed their third straight title with a strong performance in a draw against South Australia.
Victoria batted first in the final, racked up 487, then killed off the match by dismissing SA for just 287.
That win was built on a 224-run stand in the first innings between their gifted young openers Marcus Harris and Travis Dean, who both had solid seasons.
Here are some of the players who left a big impression on me this Shield season:
Alex Carey (South Australia) – 594 runs at 33, plus 59 dismissals
Carey broke the all-time Shield record for most dismissals in a season, with 59, eclipsing the previous mark of 58 co-held by just-retired Queensland champion Chris Hartley.
The South Australian may also have taken the mantle as the best pure gloveman in Australia, again from Hartley. Carey is clinical behind the stumps, possessed of the soundest of fundamentals, fantastic agility and soft hands.
What he can learn from Hartley’s career is that being a supreme gloveman is not enough to earn Test selection – runs are the most valuable currency. Carey’s batting improved significantly this year, as he made 594 runs at 33 from his 11 matches, including five half-centuries.
But, after 18 first-class matches, his highest score is just 79 and his average only 26.
Current and former Test keepers Peter Nevill and Matt Wade, average 40 and 39 in first-class cricket, respectively, so 25-year-old Carey needs to boost his batting to catch the attention of the national selectors.
Aaron Finch (Victoria) – 581 runs at 53
Few Australian players of the modern era have struggled as badly as Finch to translate good limited-overs international performances into success against the red ball.
After 33 first-class matches, Finch averaged a woeful 29 with the bat. Since then however, he has tapped a rich vein of form, averaging 44 from his past 32 games.
He was a standout for Victoria this Shield season, which may well help vault him back into the ODI line-up, which he has been in and out of over the past year.
Jon Holland (Victoria) – 50 wickets at 21
Holland is now a truly dominant Shield spinner, hoarding 77 wickets at an average of 21 in his past 16 matches.
For years Australia gave Test caps to spinners with horrible first-class records and little form to speak of. Unfortunately for Holland, Australia are now better placed for Test spin options than they have been in almost a decade, thanks to the presence of Nathan Lyon and Steve O’Keefe.
That leaves Holland a firm third in the pecking order, needing to wait for injuries to potentially create opportunities.
That was how he earned his surprise Test debut in Australia last year, when O’Keefe got injured. But Holland looked underdone and bowled poorly in his two Tests, failing to produce the accuracy and tantalising flight which makes him such a threat in the Shield.
Holland’s development was stalled for many years by persistent injuries and now that’s he’s managed to stay fit he is realising his full talent. He is a very handy third spin option for Australia to boast.
Ashton Turner (WA) – 742 runs at 53, plus seven wickets at 39
Turner’s bowling development has been hampered by the presence of Ashton Agar and the fact that his home ground, the WACA, is the worst venue for spinners in world cricket.
In the absence of Agar, who was on the Test tour of India, Turner took six wickets in WA’s final match of the season to highlight the value of his underutilised offspin.
Perhaps, though, the lack of focus on his bowling is the reason for Turner’s rapid improvement as a batsman in the past 18 months. In that time, he has made just under 1000 first-class runs at an average of 46, including several crucial knocks this season.
Turner made his international debut in the T20s against Sri Lanka in February. Yet first-class cricket is his best format and, at 24 years of age, he’ll push for Test selection over the next few years.
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Hilton Cartwright (WA) – 861 runs at 54
Cartwright would be the next batsman I would pick to join the Test line-up. He has had an incredible 18 months of first-class cricket, piling up 1387 runs at 60 in that time.
Amid this golden run he earned a Test debut, in Australia’s final match of the summer against Pakistan, making a solid 37 in his only innings.
He was picked in that Test as an all-rounder, but the burly 25-year-old is not to be mixed up with bits-and-pieces players like Mitch Marsh and Moises Henriques. Rather, he is a brilliant top-order batsman, who dominates at first drop in the Shield, and just happens to bowl handy 130kmh seamers.
He signed off the Shield season with a commanding double of 170* and 70 against NSW.
Cartwright has a compact technique, a fine temperament, a wide range of strokes which he deploys with intelligence, and is equally confident against pace or spin. He could bat anywhere from three to six in the Test order.
Sheffield Shield Team of the Year
1. Ed Cowan (NSW) – 959 runs at 74
2. Marcus Harris (VIC) – 808 runs at 43
3. Hilton Cartwright (WA) – 861 runs at 54
4. George Bailey (TAS) – 839 runs at 60
5. Ashton Turner (WA) – 742 runs at 53, plus seven wickets at 39
6. Moises Henriques (NSW) – 775 runs at 65
7. Chris Hartley (Queensland) – 535 runs at 76, plus 25 dismissals
8. Chris Tremain (VIC) – 42 wickets at 19
9. Jason Behrendorff (WA) – 37 wickets at 18
10. Jon Holland (VIC) – 50 wickets at 21
11. Chadd Sayers (SA) – 62 wickets at 19
danno
Guest
Ben McDermott was a disappointment for Tassie this year. Did make his maiden hundred though. Hopefully cement a spot at 5 next year.
Basil
Guest
Why is Behrendorf ahead of Sayers? You're also judging his away record on one season as qwertzen points out. Sayers would thrive in England, which makes me wonder why he doesn't play County cricket?
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Yes, being partially humorous, but have to think it's a worry that in a season where he was so amazing at Adelaide he struggled so badly everywhere else. It's probably enough to put a bit of a question mark against him. Could almost say he's just an automatic pick for the Adelaide test each season, and that one only. It's a bit weird, you don't think Adelaide would be the place that a swing bowler would thrive at while struggling at other venues yet he's just dominated there in the shield. He certainly was hard done by to have had Mennie picked ahead of him when Mennie has always been second behind him in SA. So to be picked ahead of him for Australia is a bit weird. It's not like he was a 140+ bowler either. But there might just be the worry among selectors that he's a bit of a one trick pony and when the conditions are just right he might run through a team but the rest of the time he'll have nothing. That was certainly his big chance though, when there were so many injuries going around and they started looking at bowlers they hadn't really considered before. Next season we'll likely have Cummins, Pattinson, Starc, Behrendorf all fit and suddenly Sayers will be down the list no matter how many SS wickets he takes.
boxingkoala
Roar Rookie
If they don't give Renshaw a good 20 tests at his age (they gave it to M Marsh), I will stop watching cricket. Even if he averages 35 in the Ashes, he needs the time and faith as by age 25, he will be world class for 10 years. Pick and stick. Still reckon they should have stuck with Burns also. The experience he would have gained to date would have been invaluable. No 6 may have been his spot. (Now they have gone Maxwell stick with him for 10 tests and see if he is up to it). And Ussie, now after two Indian tours and getting no batting experience, where does that place him in 4 years when we tour India again?? S Marsh was never going to go to India next time, and I am confident Ussie would have scored the same runs as S Marsh. I feel the selectors got this one wrong (Tho very happy with the overall 1-2 result and pushing India).
El Loco
Roar Rookie
Agreed burgy, I find it really easy to imagine Maxwell racking up 15 or so centuries, becoming a key senior player, and have all the doubters wondering how they could have been so wrong.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Sayers 100% should have played the Hobart Test ahead of Mennie. He has comprehensively outbowled Mennie over the past few years in the same team, it made no sense to overlook him. And he would have been a menace then in the next Test at Adelaide. A real missed opportunity not just for Sayers but for the Australian team to get a look at him.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Totally agree, if you watch the games and not just up batting tables you would know just how great a season he had. He pulled us along almost single handedly all season. Peirson has been good with the bat is his few games but his keeping still needs some work. When I have seen him he still comes up too quickly.
Nudge
Guest
That's what annoys me the most as well Basil, he's still the unknown at test level. Before the test season started Sayers had completely outbowled Bird in the 2 or 3 shield games prior to test selection. Everyone knows what Bird can deliver. He will rarely run through a team at test level, but will rarely bowl worse than 20 overs 2 for 60. If Sayers had of got an opportunity in Hobart or Adelaide we would have a fair idea if he'd be up to test level. He's virtually no chance next summer if the 4 quicks are available but if he had been given a crack the summer just passed, who know's he may have been an automatic selection for the 2nd test at Adelaide
BurgyGreen
Guest
Yes, I noticed that as well. Seems to have played some handy counterattacking knocks in tight 4th innings chases.
qwetzen
Guest
A note on Mini Boof: Living life on the edge, ie not checking history, he seemed to often score runs when they were badly needed. Will follow next season.
qwetzen
Guest
They must've been using old Qld police radar guns... But seriously folks... Good on him. But do credit ROC that I did say that I didn't know if his condition was permanent.
Basil
Guest
Thank you for those facts qwertzen. The fact unfortunately is that Sayers is neither 6'5" or bowls at 140+, so it really doesn't matter how many wickets he takes. It's a shame he wasn't selected this summer as he is still an unknown quantity at Test level. A massive waste by the selectors. Also Chris, if we are going to judge him by his Adelaide record this season wouldn't that make him a shoo in for the Adelaide DN Test? Surely that kind of record would almost guarantee a win over the Old Enemy.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Yet he reached 134kmh last night bowling in the IPL...
AREH
Roar Guru
Yep. That said, Cartwright's numbers especially in the back end of this shield season justify him playing as a pure batsman anyhow.
Gareth Kidd
Roar Guru
Throw Starc in there as well when he returns from injury. You really could have a four pronged pace attack with Hazelwood and Lyon at 10 and 11. Although, hard chomps on Maxi after a solid showing in his two tests.
Nordburg
Guest
With Pattinson,Cummins and Starc being more than handy with the bat,it gives the selectors a chance to move whoever is keeper,hopefully Nevill,to number 6 and play all 4 fast bowlers as well as Lyon at some stage.Injuries will most likely ruin any chance but fingers crossed
qwetzen
Guest
ROC said: " He’s [Henriques] at his peak now as a cricketer..." I don't know if it's permanent, but his bowling last season was *just* medium pace, very reminiscent of The Last Days of the Botham Empire. He was a damned good all-round Shield cricketer a few years back and deserved his Tests, but it looks like his best days have passed.
qwetzen
Guest
Chris K said: " If people are saying Warner shouldn’t be picked away from home for averaging half his career average in away conditions, Sayers should never be picked away from Adelaide since his away average was almost 4 times his home average!" I assume that you're trying to be humourous. Anyway, to restore parity here's Sayer's *career* averages (minus a couple of games from last season) by venue: Ad Oval - 23.2 Gabba - 36.8 Bellerive - 28.4 MCG - 24.3 WACA - 24.4 SCG - 16.1
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
SOK is an interesting case. His FC batting stats look decent, but a few years ago they looked really good. His batting seems to have been getting worse every year, padded by some good scores in his first couple of years of FC cricket or something like that. In contrast, Cummins and Pattinson have been improving their batting. Both seem to have used to time when they've not been able to bowl through injury to spend time working on their batting, and it shows.
qwetzen
Guest
Perry, Maxwell didn't bowl one ball in last seasons ODI series v Pakistan.