Opinion
With state teams in Australia naming their squads for the 2021-22 season, it made me wonder how many of these players will be available for the majority of the season.
With 14-day quarantine a must for everyone coming into Australia, it makes it difficult for state teams to have their best players available, as quite a few names will head off to the UAE for the IPL and ICC T20 World Cup.
With that in mind, I’ve come up with three overseas players who can improve the standard of cricket played in the upcoming season of the Sheffield Shield and Marsh Cup.
Hashim Amla
Even at the age of 38, Hashim Amla has shown he’s still got it in him. In the 2021 County Championship, Amla has racked up 687 runs in 15 innings at an average of 52.84.
For all the big scores Amla has made this County season, his blockathon against Hampshire has been his best innings to date.
Scoring 37* off 278 deliveries, Amla’s innings ensured Hampshire wouldn’t win the fixture against Surrey as the County from North London pulled off a miraculous draw. And that’s the type of batting that has been missed in the Sheffield Shield lately.
Amla would bring a lot of experience to any team with the amount of runs he’s made domestically and in international cricket. While he’d be a great addition to all the state teams, Amla would fit best at Tasmania.
Bellerive Oval isn’t an easy wicket to bat on, with a mere three centuries being scored by Tasmanian batsmen at Hobart in the past two Sheffield Shield seasons.
If Amla signs with Tasmania, the Tassie batsmen would learn a lot from Amla on how to rack up scores on difficult wickets to bat on.
Blessing Muzarabani
If you haven’t heard of Muzarabani yet, you’re missing out greatly. Standing tall at 1.98 metres, the Zimbabwean fast bowler has been making headlines over the past few months.
A tearaway quick, Muzarabani has dismissed Babar Azam five times in international cricket and has also dismissed the likes of Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell in T20 internationals.
Averaging under 25 with the ball in both first class and Test cricket, the 24-year-old has a bright future for Zimbabwe.
With Zimbabwe suspended from playing in the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup and no series announced for the Zimbabweans after August 2021, it’s a perfect chance for Muzarabani to play some high-quality domestic cricket.
Muzarabani will get to test himself at a high level of first class cricket and Australian batsmen will get the chance to face a highly-rated international prospect with the red cherry.
Realistically, I can see Muzarabani signing with either Western Australia or Queensland, considering how much their home surfaces aid the quicks.
Daniel Moriarty
A left-arm spinner, Daniel Moriarty isn’t well known outside of England, unless you are a diehard English domestic cricket fan. Playing for Surrey, Moriarty has found it hard to topple Amar Singh Virdi as Surrey’s first-choice spinner, playing just four games in first class cricket.
But he has made a serious impact in his first class career so far – taking 31 wickets with four five-wicket hauls in eight innings. Moriarty has also impressed in his T20 career – taking 26 wickets at an average under 21 and an economy under 7.
While Moriarty may not be good enough to come Down Under with the English squad as a net bowler in the upcoming Ashes, he’s still proven to be a good bowler at English domestic level so far.
His game would improve a lot with a stint in Australia.
South Australia are crying for a spinner with Lloyd Pope leaking runs in first class and List A cricket and should they sign Moriarty, the Redbacks’ struggling bowling attack will be stronger.
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