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Opinion
These are my thoughts after another round of Shield action.
1. The Test pieces are falling into place… almost
Justin Langer and the selectors must be equal parts thrilled and worried by what they saw from the likely Test players over the weekend.
Mitchell Starc looked good during both innings against Queensland, while Matthew Wade knocked off the rust with a couple of good half centuries against WA. Nathan Lyon was solid, Tim Paine gloved the ball well and Marnus Labuschagne scored another very good hundred.
Joe Burns, however, continues to under-perform. If an opener’s role is to take the shine off the new ball, Burns achieved that in an 87-ball, 29-run first innings, but a second-innings duck has allowed many to suggest his days at the top of the order for Australia are numbered.
He still has plenty of time to turn things around, but he’ll want to make a convincing big score soon.
2. It’s nice to see something for the bowlers
It’s pretty much been all systems go for the batsmen so far this Shield season, but the conditions on Friday must have thrilled the bowlers. Batsmen found it hard going and first-innings scores were more reflective of an even contest between bat and ball. Now the trick will be maintaining a balance, so batsmen are challenged to earn their runs and bowlers are rewarded for hard work.
3. The lowest scoring game was the best game
Neither NSW nor Queensland broke 300 in four innings but this was a terrific game of cricket. There was just enough in the pitch to give the bowlers some hope, which makes the century Labuschagne scored all the more impressive. NSW tried hard to lose this game but in the end they just prevailed despite the best efforts of Mitchell Swepson (more on him later).
4. He’s like a vintage wine
There were some terrific innings played over the weekend, but for mine, the best was by Shaun Marsh. His hundred – at a time when the ball was dominating the bat – was impressive.
(Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
I’m not suggesting he’s in contention for a Test spot, but on form, there’s lots to like, especially when you throw in a second-innings 88 off 74 balls.
5. Great catches don’t earn Test recalls
Kurtis Patterson took arguably the catch of the season to help Trent Copeland to his fifth wicket. It was a stunning piece of fielding, but sadly his batting has not been equally as stunning.
Patterson has made double figures in three of his four innings this season, but has not passed 50. This is at a time when other Test contenders are scoring big hundreds.
He’s still only 27, so time is on his side, but only if he converts these starts into decent scores.
6. Mitchell Swepson is putting a distance on the challengers
A ten-wicket haul at any time is a great feat but to do so when conditions didn’t suit his style of bowling made Mitchell Swepson’s effort all the more remarkable.
Ignore the wickets for a second and look at the second-innings challenge. Usman Khawaja needed Swepson to both take wickets and be economical, given Queensland had only set NSW 205 runs for victory. That Swepson was able to get through 29 overs and only concede 74 runs is a terrific achievement for a leggie.
Nathan Lyon’s position in the Test side is a done deal, but Swepson, in two games, has made himself the obvious successor.
7. How much should we be impressed by Will Pucovski’s innings?
As a feat of concentration, focus and technique, this was an outstanding knock, especially considering it was his first Shield game of the season and he was opening the batting.
Pucovski looked in total command of his game and played some wonderful shots all round the ground. What stood out for me was the time he had to play shots and his confidence, which suggests he’s in a pretty good mind space.
(Photo: Paul Kane/Getty Images)
Many have suggested on the basis of one innings he should be opening the batting in the first Test, but remember his mate at the other end?
Marcus Harris scored an equally impressive double hundred, but has shown how great a step up it is from Shield to Test cricket. Harris was scoring hundreds for fun in Shield cricket when he was selected to open against India, but an average of 24.5 from 17 innings shows how quickly bowlers will hone in on any batting weakness.
That’s not to say Pucovski can’t or won’t thrive as an opener, but one innings on a very flat pitch against an underwhelming attack does not make a Test opener.
8. Did Cameron Bancroft hurt or help himself?
In Bancroft’s previous innings, he’d looked pretty solid and there were suggestions he might be a chance to regain his Test spot. Nine balls into his first innings against Tasmania, he might have played his way out again.
Many, including me, had hoped Bancroft had fixed the issue that caused him to play up-ishly behind square leg, but Matthew Wade put a fieldsman at a wide leg gully and Bancroft somehow managed to hit a catch there.
Yes, he scored a confidence-building hundred in the second innings, but does that and his earlier efforts with the bat offset an issue that has dogged him for more than a year?
9. Cameron Green was impressive
He only bowled 12 overs for the match, but Cameron Green looked very good. He certainly impressed Merv Hughes, who was commentating when Green was bowling in the second innings. He was seriously sharp and got life out of a very flat deck.
10. Finally, something you don’t see every day
No, I’m not referring to Pete Siddle’s haircut, but Tasmania’s first innings.
Every batsman got to double figures as did sundries in a score of 432. The bottom three provided more than 100 runs alone. Jackson Bird’s 39 off 19 balls is an innings he’ll no doubt proudly talk about.
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