These five Victorians are set to light up the Sheffield Shield this summer.
Xavier Crone
He is an up-and-coming bowler who has toiled hard especially at Carlton in Victorian Premier Cricket where he has impressed selectors last season enough to give him his Marsh Cup debut. He is a quality bowler and if he has a stellar season with the Big V he could get a call-up in the future for Australia. He has an impressive career at Carlton. Last season he took 30 wickets at an average of 18.3 and that included three five-wicket hauls. He will be one to watch with potential to take over from Peter Siddle. He has a great work rate and has performed well for the Victorian second XI with 4-52 last season against WA.
Jake Fraser-McGurk
This kid has star written all over him. In his Victorian Shield debut he made an impressive 50 and will be looked at highly. Being only 18 years old and the third youngest player to play Shield cricket for Victoria, he could be the future for Victorian and Australian cricket. Fraser-McGurk has impressed at all levels through his underage development career. He only has two first-class matches to his name, but he is a genuine gun. Fraser-McGurk is likely to be given a Test cap in the future and in this season will be looked at in the same conversation with Cameron Green from WA. A run-in with a monkey at a nature reserve in South Africa put an unfortunate early end to his under-19 World Cup campaign last year, but there is a lot of excitement around what he can bring to the table.
(Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
Scott Boland
He is an older figure but he is key to Victoria’s one-day success. With his strengths being his slower ball and cutters, they help win games for Victoria. He had an impressive season in 2019-20 with 17 wickets at an average of 35.2 with his best being 4-62 against Queensland. He will be one to watch this Shield season as Peter Siddle has moved on, so he must take on a bigger workload for Victoria. In addition to this he could get a call-up to the Australia one-day team if he performs well at Marsh Cup level.
Travis Dean
This opening batsman is skilled in all departments. Dean performed excellently last year in the number of games he played (five), scoring over 300 runs at an average of 40.3. He will be the go-to opening batsman this season and has proven his ability by amassing a lot runs at Premier level, so hopefully he is able to show his full worth at first-class level. A big season in the VCA could generate discussion of a future Australian debut at Test level.
Cameron McClure
The new kid on the block comes off the back of an impressive season at Essendon, which saw McClure take 17 wickets and made his Premier first XI debut as well as his Victorian second XI debut. McClure was a late call-up into the Australian under-19 World Cup squad, replacing Fraser-McGurk, and he has played in a Cricket Australia exhibition match for the Ponting XII. He caught the eye of selectors playing for Victoria Country in the under-19 National Championships, taking ten wickets in the carnival. He will be one to watch as he continues grow and he has the potential to become a gun for Victoria in the future.
44GallonDrum
Roar Rookie
I would walk backwards across the Nullarbor if Mackin gets within a country mile of making the Vic first choice XI. He just completely lost it as a bowler for a while there, and from what I've seen still hasn't entirely recovered. Sad really
mrrexdog
Roar Guru
Of the players you've mentioned, I wonder how many would make the first choice XI. Harris Maddinson Pucovski Handscomb (c) Maxwell Finch Harper (wk) Sutherland Pattinson Boland Mackin I know Victoria's usual strategy is to bat either Sutherland or Pattinson at 7 so they can play the extra bowler, but if Maxwell's available they're better off using him as their main spinner and going in with 4 quicks.
AREH
Roar Guru
Probably does need Pucovski in this conversation though, too. A full season in the right personal space could amount to anything, as the potential seems limitless.
DaveJ
Roar Rookie
Saw one match on TV with Fraser-McGurk. Looked pretty impressive.
JGK
Roar Guru
What sort of bowlers are Crone and McClure? How old is Crone?
qwetzen
Roar Rookie
"Watching" them may not be an option you know... A Shield season without the boring Vics? Mmmmmm.
Paul
Roar Guru
I know little about these guys but it seems they'll be needed as the Vics rebuild their squad. Fraser-McGurk is probably the one with the most potential. I hope he gets a chance to show what he can do, but equally hope he's not rushed too quickly. We've seen what can happen to players mental health when too much pressure/expectation is heaped on them. The guys I hope have a really good season are Handscomb, Harris & Puckovski, so they can keep the Test incumbents honest. I equally hope they don't play in too many roads at the MCG or Junction Oval, so these guys can show selectors what they can do when they're really tested.