Five winners and losers from Round 1 of the Sheffield Shield

With a round of pink ball matches kicking off the Sheffield Shield for 2017-18, there was plenty at stake for players looking to push their cause for first Test selection.

Here we look at how some of the big players fared.

Winners

1. Fast bowlers
Batsman might not rate pink ball cricket, however you won’t find too many fast bowlers complaining.

There were results well inside four days of all three matches, with the ball heavily dominating the bat. Five of the six first innings scores in all matches fell before 300, with three of the six falling below 170.

South Australia managed to get rolled for 93 in their first innings, while Tasmania collapsed spectacularly to be all out for 63 in their second innings’ run chase against Western Australia.

While the Pink Ball experiment might have its sceptics among players, games that favour bowlers have been few and far between in recent years and, as a spectator, they are often compelling. The Adelaide Test this year might not go five days, but it might be the most captivating of the summer.

(AAP Image/Dave Hunt)

2. Usman Khawaja
Surely Khawaja would have to considered the best ‘Pink Ball’ player in the country after his dominant century in Queensland’s win over Victoria.

In a round where the bowlers dominated, Khawaja was the only player in the country to score a century, and made 40 in the first innings for good measure.

Khawaja was also the only player to score a century in the low scoring pink Test match against South Africa last summer.

Khawaja recently got on the front foot, having a crack at the Australian selectors, showing he has plenty of faith in his own ability, and is a lock to be batting at 3 for Australia this summer.

Personally I would like to see him opening the batting, but he is equally as comfortable at 3, and will be a key player for Australia this summer.

3. Mitchell Starc
Starc showed what a weapon he can be with the pink ball, with a 10-wicket haul against a hapless South Australia at the Adelaide Oval. After missing Australia’s tour of Bangladesh, and having suffered various injuries over the past twelve months, Starc powered through 37 overs of work to show he is primed and ready for an Ashes battle.

What makes Starc such a nightmare for batsmen is not only his pace, but his ability to attack with the full ball and the short ball.

As opposed to bowlers that might nag away on a line and length, Starc attacks the feet and the head, and that brings all sorts of mental demons in for batsmen. Some of his dismissals in this game were truly beating a batsman all ends up.

4. Hilton Cartwright
I put Cartwright in this category as he managed to grind out 61 and 38 in what was a very low scoring round of Pink Ball cricket. Usually scores of 61 and 38 don’t jump off the page.

However, with his competitors for a Test spot in Glen Maxwell, Travis Head, Marcus Stoinis and company falling flat, Cartwright might have edged himself ahead in the race to bat at Number 6 for Australia in Brisbane.

5. Nathan Coulter-Nile
After an injury plagued few years, Coulter-Nile is finally starting to show his worth. He performed strongly for Australia in the recent ODI series, and made a solid all round contribution for Western Australia in their thumping win over Tasmania.

Coulter-Nile got 3/22 in the second innings, as well as handy scores of 52 and 42 in a round where runs were hard to come by. If Australia get injuries this summer he could easily come into test match calculations.

(Image: Perth Scorchers)

Losers

1. Matthew Wade
Wade just looks like a beaten man mentally at the moment. He knows he is under pressure, and his batting has been on a downward spiral for some time, whilst every little keeping mistake he makes is guaranteed to make headlines.

Wade could only muster 7 runs for the match for Tasmania on a wicket that, whilst challenging in Perth, was considered the best batting wicket of all three pink ball venues. Whilst none of his rivals really jumped up out of the ground, the pressure remains well and truly on.

2. Travis Head
It was not an easy assignment for Travis Head captain a young South Australian team against a powerhouse New South Wales side. Head had an opportunity against Australian fast bowlers Starc and Cummins to push his cause, however could only total 7 runs for the match.

A First Class average of 33 from 55 games, with half of those games being played in Adelaide, suggests there are some flaws in his game, compared to his white ball cricket record.

3. Glenn Maxwell
Maxwell, like Wade looks like a player with a bit of a scrambled mind at the moment. That’s exactly what can happen when you know you’re walking out to bat, essentially playing for your spot.

Maxwell played a few bizarrely circumspect innings in India, and looks to have lost form just six months on from his breakthrough century in India. Despite being elevated to Number 4 by Victoria for their Shield match against Queensland, Maxwell only scored just 7 and 20 for the game.

The fact he bowled just two overs for the match shows Maxwell can barely be considered an all-rounder in Australian conditions, and simply has to score runs in either of the next two Shield games to hold on to his Number 6 batting spot.

(AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)

4. Matthew Renshaw
This might seem harsh, given Renshaw managed 16 and 17, and some of his Australian teammates barely fared any better. The difference is, unlike Steve Smith or Peter Handscomb, Renshaw is a player who could easily come under pressure this summer. It’s fine to bat time, and have a slow strike rate, when you’re getting scores of 40 plus.

However, when you don’t go on with things, it can create pressure on players around you that like to get on with it.

My gut feeling is David Warner is not a fan of opening the batting alongside a player that struggles to get off strike at times. Don’t get me wrong, Renshaw has done really well for Australia, however I’m forecasting some tough times this summer.

5. Ed Cowan
Cowan averaged 77 last season and can’t get a game for the first game of the following season. Cowan, at 35 years of age, is a player at the peak of his powers, but found himself on the outer for Nic Maddinson who managed only 7 and 0 in South Australia in what were tough batting conditions.

While New South Wales won the game comfortably, Cowan found have felt had done by