The Sheffield Shield starts tomorrow and with the Test wicketkeeping and number six spots up for grabs, the domestic competition will take centre stage for a change.
Patterson, Head, Burns, Marsh and Stoinis challenge for Ashes spot
On the face of it, the battle for Australia’s number six spot should be a straightforward contest between incumbents Glenn Maxwell and Hilton Cartwright, but that situation has been complicated by the fact there are three Sheffield Shield matches prior to the first Test.
This means the landscape could alter dramatically by the time the selectors choose the line-up for the first Ashes Test, which starts in 29 days.
Should Cartwright and Maxwell struggle, then any of Kurtis Patterson, Joe Burns, Shaun Marsh, Travis Head or Marcus Stoinis could vault themselves into the team with a dominant start to the comp.
Maxwell has a brilliant opportunity to press his claims tomorrow, with reports he will be promoted to bat in the top four against Tasmania. He deserves the chance to finally play a Test on a friendly home pitch, after playing all seven of his matches so far in Asia, but he has struggled for runs in all formats for the past six months and needs to light up the Shield to keep his Test spot.
AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi
Ed Cowan dropped by Steve Smith
Steve Smith admitted he had a say in Ed Cowan being dropped from the NSW team, despite Cowan being the reigning Steve Waugh Medallist as the state’s most outstanding player, with the Aussie skipper implying the decision was in the best interests of the national team.
Had Cowan been included in NSW’s 12-man squad for their match against South Australia on Friday, he would have squeezed out one of Kurtis Patterson, Nic Maddinson, Daniel Hughes or Moises Henriques.
At 35 years old, Cowan’s international career seems over, whereas Maddinson and Henriques recently played Tests, Patterson is a leading candidate, and Hughes at 28 years old has potential.
It’s a very tough decision for Cowan, who may well have to sit out the first three rounds of the Shield if Smith and David Warner play in each of those matches. Cowan has every right to be furious.
Matt Wade will kill off Tim Paine’s Test hopes
With the Test keeping position wide open, Tasmanian Tim Paine has been mentioned by Australia selector Mark Waugh as a dark horse for the Ashes.
When Waugh made this comment, I wondered whether he had forgotten that Wade had moved from Victoria to Tasmania in the off season. Wade will almost certainly take the gloves for his new side, which would make it extraordinary for Paine to be picked for the Ashes.
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Matt Renshaw needs runs
Renshaw will play in the first Ashes Test, but a string of low scores in the opening rounds of the Shield will weaken the 21-year-old’s grip on his spot.
Australia’s selectors have shown great impatience with Test batsmen recently, jettisoning the likes of Usman Khawaja and Joe Burns after brief form blips.
Renshaw’s last nine scores in Test cricket are 22, 4, 5, 45, 8, 1, 15, 44 and 5 (a total of 149 runs at 16). The left hander then struggled in the One Day Cup, averaging just 25, while many other batsmen ran amok on the tournament’s flat decks.
Should he labour in the Shield, it will only further the perception that he is badly out of nick and thus enter the Ashes under heavy scrutiny.
Conversely, if Renshaw flourishes for Queensland over the next few weeks, it will release pressure. Australian fans will hope he can do just that as he shapes as a perfect long-term partner for Warner, complementing the dynamic vice-captain with his circumspect batting.
AAP Image/David Moir
WA’s pace stocks are amazing
Western Australia have a better battery of quicks than Sri Lanka, Bangladesh or the West Indies.
Nathan Coulter-Nile and Jason Behrendorff are expected to play against Tasmania in Perth tomorrow after their impressive performances for Australia in India. With Ashton Agar offering the spin option, WA are left to choose from just one of Simon Mackin, David Moody, Jhye Richardson and Cameron Green.
The 202cm Mackin has been extremely impressive in his brief first-class career, taking 69 wickets at 25, and would be the spearhead of the attack if he played for Queensland or Tasmania. Moody, at 22 and standing 195cm, also has enormous talent and snared 28 wickets at 31 last Shield season.
Then there’s 21-year-old Richardson and 18-year-old Green – two of the hottest young pace prospects in the nation. Richardson has only played one first-class match so far, taking 4-93, but has garnered praise for his sharp bowling in the Big Bash League and domestic One Day Cup.
Green, meanwhile, took 12 wickets at 18 from his three Shield matches last summer, including a stunning haul of 5-24 in his first innings.
And if left-arm quick Joel Paris was fit for selection, WA’s selectors would face an even trickier choice. Paris has obvious potential to develop into a quality international bowler.
WA are absolutely stacked with quicks.
Don Freo
Guest
Most followers of Shield cricket know that. That wasn't the conversation.
qwetzen
Guest
Speaking of Smith.... I saw most of his innings in Adelaide yesterday on the stream and the last three balls he got from Sayers were superb. Outswinger: Thick edge off a defensive edge bobbled slowly down to 3rd slip. Shorter inswinger: Inside edge onto thigh pad from a gentle flick to square leg. No run. Straight ball: Pitched up, Smith played across it and missed. Plumb. He gave Smith a good send off too.
qwetzen
Guest
Good innings by Maddinson yesterday....
qwetzen
Guest
Cosier played over half of his Shield innings @4 and only 12 of 84 as an opener. And the Spud Phillips usual position for SA was opener. In Tests 33 of his 48 innings were at opener or #7 JL batted almost exclusively in the first 3 for both WA and Oz. (176/182)
bearfax
Guest
Never ceases to amaze me how the Australian selectors seem to have a blind spot when it comes to Khawaja. Happens series after series where he may have one or two low innings. So far Khawaja has been the star batsman of the opening matches of the Sheffield Shield with scores of 40 and 99 not out. And yet some still suggest his position in the Australia side is at risk. As far as the test batsmen are concerned I would never think of dropping Smith, Warner or Khawaja, unless they failed over a lengthy period. They are the foundation batsmen of this Australian test side. I hope the selectors dont make yet another inane decision and drop him. If they did I would be suggesting the selectors be dropped...and into something deep and unpalatable.
DingoGray
Roar Guru
and Uzzie helped them out by batting 1st!
DingoGray
Roar Guru
I agree until they plonk Maddinson at the top and bat Hughes at 6! Sorry Smudge ya mate Nick is garbage T20 slogger
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
We are talking current form, which means we have to talk about whatever formats they have been playing recently. The club cricket scores are the level directly below Shield cricket that is really all players can be judged on to be selected at Shield level, just as Shield level is the level below test cricket to select players for that. So yes, they are different formats, but when we are determining current form, they can actually be more relevant than how someone did in last years Sheffield Shield competition.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Hard to know everything that's going on. Probably the point is that the moment a bowler is really on CA's radar for international duties, they are going to take a serious interest in managing injuries and workloads and things. My personal thoughts are that CA have it backwards and I believe bowlers need more bowling, not less, in order to build up strength in the body. But Behrendorff has had a lot of injuries, and it's possible CA are just following the same sorts of plans they follow with the likes of Starc and Cummins in trying to have more slow build-up to playing and not have too much workload too soon when returning from serious injuries. Last season it was my view that Cummins should have been playing Shield cricket pretty much from the start of the season, but CA preferred to take it easy during the season, playing more white ball cricket and slowly building up to a late season first class return. And so far it's looking pretty good for him in that he's built up the strength and currently looks fit and strong and is bowling well. So while I don't agree with a lot of CA's fast bowler management, if could be that they are just following their standard formula that says a first class game right now could be too much, and he just needs to follow the regimented nets bowling and gym work and get the body ready for game 2 or something like that. Hopefully that's all it is. If he is kept out of more than one or two games without it being backed up by actually scans showing some sort of injury they need to manage, then that's definitely not good!
George
Guest
Conflate the formats much.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Harper pulled in some rippers yesterday.
Don Freo
Guest
An interview on Sport Fm breakfast. They replayed it in the rain delay before the game. It was defintely an explanation about "mangaging him through a long season" but Harvey's tone had an element of "yeah...I know, right?" There was reference to the idea that the stress fracture had become a clean break but that, apparently, was a better outcome. It seems to me that if he was to be a Test candidate, he'd have to show 4 day resilience. Seems like they have NCN slated as next from the West Aussies...or no one.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
That's really weird. Behrendorff has been one of the better Shield bowlers (when fit) for the last few years. I'd have thought that with Pattinson out, Behrendorff would have firmed as favourite to be the #1 back up to the test trio of quicks. That statement also makes no sense as there isn't any white ball cricket of ANY sort, until the BBL. So it's not like, in any way, leaving him out of this match is saving him for white ball cricket. I've tried searching everywhere and can't find anything talking about Behrendorff's omission at all, which, considering I'd think he'd generally be first bowler on the team-sheet for WA when healthy, is quite incredible!
qwetzen
Guest
"Was also impressed by some of Sam Harper’s takes" And how is Snow White getting on with only 6 helpers? Am not a fan of the XXS keeper. Think David Murray.
Bakkies
Guest
Bird just got Stoinis for 9
BurgyGreen
Guest
Finished with 61 from 128. Did his chances no harm. Maxwell is 6 not out overnight, will definitely have a chance to respond tomorrow with Victoria in trouble at 3 for not many. Big day for him.
maverick
Roar Rookie
Right Ronan.I think Paine's batting has been overrated for a long time.He is a brilliant keeper but his batting in long form cricket is poor.I would have picked Dunk instead of him.
Rob JM
Guest
Like Finch for instance, who most of us agree should be no where near the test side!
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Bird has looked really good, he's really tested the WA batsmen. Cartwright just got some serious luck - hook shot which just, just cleared deep fine leg and went for six, and next ball an inside edge for four. He's on 49no.
Don Freo
Guest
Those bowling conditions have been pretty potent. Plaudits to Bancroft and Marsh, especially Marsh, for establishing another base for a launch. Excellent opener's job.