With finals in both major football codes and the start of the NFL season in the US, the 2018 JLT One Day series has flown under the radar.
The tournament commences on Sunday 16th September with Queensland taking on Victoria, with the fixture finding some clear air prior to the NRL semi-final later in the afternoon.
For cricket lovers, this tournament is the perfect start to the summer, watching our domestic cricketers and potential Australian representatives play some quality cricket at picturesque grounds.
The squads are in, meaning we can take a closer look at how the season may play out.
1. Western Australia
It may be the safest choice, but WA is always the most dangerous team going around, with the quality going around. There are a couple of ways they can structure the batting order, depending on which wicket-keeper they select.
At the moment, I’ve gone with Josh Phillipe due to his prolific record opening the batting last season, although they may go with the slightly more experienced Josh Inglis, which may see Marcus Stoinis open the batting.
The bowling attack is extremely strong, so much so that Matt Kelly could miss out if a fully fit team is available. Joel Paris and Nathan Coulter-Nile playing regular cricket will be huge for the team.
Ashton Agar is joining the Australian national team in the UAE after the first two games, which could put a slight strain on WA’s batting. While the team has plenty of late-order hitting, it is the slight question mark on an otherwise strong team. Expect them to be in the final.
Expected Best XI: 1. D.Short 2. J.Phillipe(wk) 3. H.Cartwright 4. M.Stoinis 5. A.Turner(c) 6. J.Wells 7. A.Agar 8. N.Coulter-Nile 9. J.Richardson 10. A.Tye 11. J.Paris
2. Victoria
After squeezing into the top three last season, the Victorians have certainly put together a strong squad ahead of an important campaign. While the outrage about Glenn Maxwell’s omission from the national team is still around, it only serves to further benefit the Victorians, who also have captain Peter Handscomb available for the entire tournament.
New recruit Nic Maddinson has much to prove, and should be given the opportunity to open the batting given the strength of Victoria’s middle order.
Nic Maddinson in his time with the Sydney Sixers (Photo: Sydney Sixers)
The aforementioned strength in batting, however, could be a double-edged sword, with a lack of true bowling depth. Seb Gotch batting down the order seems a waste, but he should definitely be in the team based on how he performed at Shield level last season.
The only traditional spinner in the squad is Tom O’Connell, who may around for experience rather than being a relied-upon asset, meaning Glenn Maxwell and Matt Short will bowl the bulk of the spinning overs. Exciting all-rounder Will Sutherland is the man to watch this tournament.
Expected Best XI: 1. M.Harris 2. N.Maddinson 3. C.White 4. G.Maxwell 5. P.Handscomb(c) 6. S.Gotch(wk) 7. M.Short 8. W.Sutherland 9. C.Tremain 10. S.Boland 11. J.Coleman
3. South Australia
Rounding out the projected top three is South Australia, meaning the top teams from last season are expected to back it up. The Redbacks can certainly push WA and Victoria this season, given their squad is settled.
With only Travis Head missing, SA can put a much stronger XI on the park than most of its opposition. Carey and Weatherald have plenty of experience opening together, which makes early wickets crucial to beating South Australia. With veterans Ferguson and Cooper in this line-up, getting as many new ball overs at batsmen who wouldn’t usually come in early is key.
With a settled line-up, however, comes an element of predictability. South Australia’s bowling attack is solid, but it can also leak runs if the opposition get on top early. All bowlers have been known to lose their heads a little when they’ve conceded heavily in an over or two, and it will be up to new captain Jake Lehmann, to calm his bowlers down.
Adam Zampa has a bit to prove in this JLT Series, which could be a blessing or a curse for the Redbacks.
Expected Best XI: 1. A.Carey(wk) 2. J.Weatherald 3. C.Ferguson 4. J.Lehmann(c) 5. T.Cooper 6. A.Ross 7. C.Valente 8. A.Zampa 9. K.Richardson 10. J.Mennie 11. D.Worrall
4. Tasmania
Much like South Australia, Tasmania has produced a squad only missing one player due to international duties, and the Australian captain isn’t necessarily a key player for the Tigers anyway.
There’s always an X-Factor surrounding Tasmania, with a number of enigmatic players often featuring in the best 11. The opening situation may seem a little cloudy on paper with no clearly experienced opening batsmen, so it is likely to come down to two wicketkeepers in Doran and Wade.
George Bailey is a likely floater in the order for this tournament, so his batting spot isn’t sewn up, although Silk, McDermott and Webster have featured in any and every position anyway so it’s not a huge issue. Overall though, it wouldn’t shock to see situations where Tasmania are 5/40, nor would it surprise to see them on 2/250.
Tasmania has some genuine pace in its squad, however it remains to be seen who is actually selected. Riley Meredith showed some good signs in last year’s one-day tournament, while Bird, Faulkner and Rose are experienced campaigners. With Milenko and Webster bowling options as well, Tasmania won’t be short on options, however they may be low on quality.
Expected Best XI: 1. J.Doran 2. M.Wade(wk) 3. G.Bailey(c) 4. J.Silk 5. B.McDermott 6. B.Webster 7. S.Milenko 8. J.Faulkner 9. C.Rose 10. J.Bird 11. R.Meredith
5. New South Wales
It seems as though we’re headed to another season without New South Wales in the finals of the domestic one-day competition, with a lack of depth forcing them to slide down the projections.
A major unknown relates to the returns of Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins later in the tournament, and how much they play will indicate the successes of the team this season. The batting is iffy, with only Dan Hughes, Kurtis Patterson and Moises Henriques being semi-reliable.
Moises Henriques in the Big Bash (Image: Supplied)
Players like Larkin and Gibson haven’t shown much in their limited opportunities, while Jason Sangha has a heap of potential but is young. The same goes for young all-rounder Jack Edwards.
Clearly, New South Wales’ strength is in its bowling, and the aforementioned return of the Australian duo only improves that. If they come in for the last two games of the tournament, though, it may be too little too late for the team.
Trent Copeland is amazing with his metronomic production providing a calm sense of stability in what could be a chaotic attack.
Sams showed a bit for the Sixers in last year’s BBL and is ahead of Conway and Edwards in the pace rankings, with his ability to change things up a big positive. Overall, it seems as though NSW are relying on too few veterans to drag them through this season.
Projected Best XI: 1. D.Hughes 2. N.Larkin 3. K.Patterson 4. M.Henriques 5. R.Gibson 6. P.Nevill(wk)(c) 7. J.Sangha 8. S.O’Keefe 9. S.Abbott 10. T.Copeland 11. D.Sams
6. Queensland
Given the shock inclusions in the national set-up, it’s unsurprising to see such a young Queensland squad named.
There’s a fair bit of inexperience around the team, which does allow for an element of surprise to present itself against the stronger sides in the competition. Joe Burns has every right to be upset about not being in the Australian side, which may result in big runs for him this tournament, while Chris Lynn is now captain and will thrive playing injury-free.
There’s plenty of potential with the likes of Bryant, Bartlett and Prestwidge in and around the squad, but potential won’t win games in the present.
The batting order may be shaky, but it may need to be to fit in five genuine bowlers. Instead of relying on Hemphrey’s off-spin, Queensland may choose to pick the extra pace bowler and hope Jack Wildermuth’s batting holds up.
There’s certainly talent there, with Wildermuth, Swepson and Stanlake all guys who can play for Australia in the coming seasons. The imbalance, however, is just too much for these guys to help Queensland play finals.
Projected Best XI: 1. J.Burns 2. S.Heazlett 3. M.Bryant 4. C.Lynn(c) 5. S.Turloff 6. L.Pfeffer(wk) 7. J.Wildermuth 8. M.Swepson 9. M.Steketee 10. L.Feldman 11. B.Stanlake
Given the Australian selectors are happy to make selections based on not just form, but encouraging signs in domestic cricket, this tournament really is a must watch.
Plenty of Australian representatives over the next 12-24 months will feature here, and viewers who aren’t familiar with some of the lesser names, can educate themselves by tuning in and having a look.
Predicted Ladder
1. Western Australia
2. Victoria
3. South Australia
4. Tasmania
5. New South Wales
6. Queensland
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