When you hit rock bottom, the only way is up. The 2022/23 season is one New South Wales would like to forget, with the Blues going without a win in the Sheffield Shield for the first time in 84 years, extending their winless streak to 12 matches.
Former Test opener, Phil Jaques was sacked as coach barely two months into the season, following the Blues’ worst start to a Shield season in 14 years.
Click here to read the rest of James Barr’s previews
The man tasked with changing their fortunes is Greg Shipperd, one of the most decorated coaches in Australian cricket, who officially took the reins in May after stepping in as interim coach following Jaques’ sacking in November last year.
With a new coach and some big list changes, let’s see how the Blues are shaping up for the upcoming domestic season…
Last season in numbers
Sheffield Shield: sixth on ladder (0 wins, 5 draws, 5 losses)
Leading Run-Scorers:
Daniel Hughes (537 runs at 41.30)
Moises Henriques (503 runs at 31.50)
Kurtis Patterson (417 runs at 29.78)
Leading Wicket-Takers:
Sean Abbott (21 wickets at 29.33)
Chris Green (20 wickets at 23.05)
Chris Tremain (20 wickets at 29.95)
One-Day Cup: 5th on ladder (2 wins, 5 losses)
Leading Run-Scorers:
Daniel Hughes (548 runs at 78.28)
Kurtis Patterson (206 runs at 29.42)
Moises Henriques (178 runs at 25.42)
Leading Wicket-Takers:
Liam Hatcher (11 wickets at 21.54)
Chris Green (6 wickets at 30.50)
Chris Tremain (5 wickets at 18.8)
New South Wales 2023-24 Squad: Sean Abbott*, Jackson Bird, Pat Cummins*, Oliver Davies, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Matthew Gilkes, Chris Green, Ryan Hackney, Ryan Hadley, Liam Hatcher, Josh Hazlewood*, Moises Henriques, Baxter Holt, Daniel Hughes, Hayden Kerr, Nathan Lyon*, Blake Macdonald, Blake Nikitaras, Kurtis Patterson, Ross Pawson, Jason Sangha, Tanveer Sangha, Steve Smith*, Mitchell Starc*, Chris Tremain, David Warner*, Adam Zampa*.
Rookies: Joel Davies, Jack Nisbet, Will Salzmann, Lachlan Shaw, Hunar Verma
*Cricket Australia contract
Ins and Outs:
Ins: Jackson Bird (Tasmania), Joel Davies, Chris Green, Blake Macdonald, Ross Pawson.
Outs: Trent Copeland (retired), Liam Doddrell (delisted), Mickey Edwards (Yorkshire), Lachlan Hearne (delisted), Daniel Sams
Some exciting changes to New South Wales’ contract list for 2023/24, headlined by the recruitment of NSW-native, Jackson Bird, with the prolific fast bowler heading home after 12 years representing Tasmania.
Chris Green certainly isn’t a new name to those who have followed the BBL over recent years, but the 29-year-old has earned his first state contract after being one of the few shining lights for the Blues after making his Shield debut last season.
Canberra-born Blake Macdonald has also earned a full contract after a stellar season at club level, and impressed on Shield debut last season, posting scores of 21 & 61 at the top of the order.
Fast bowler Ross Pawson enters the squad, while exciting young talent, Joel Davies has been handed a rookie contract after leading the Australian under-19 side against England last summer.
Veteran pace bowler Trent Copeland announced his retirement at the end of the 2022/23 season, ending a decorated career that saw him play three Tests and take 410 first-class wickets.
Fellow fast bowlers Mickey Edwards and Daniel Sams have also exited the squad, with Edwards taking up a contract with Yorkshire in County Cricket, while Sams has opted to explore his options on the global T20 circuit. Batsman Lachlan Hearne has also been delisted, as has Liam Doddrell.
Nathan Lyon is one of several Blues with a Cricket Australia contract (Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)
Squad breakdown:
Batters: Oliver Davies, Ryan Hackney, Moises Henriques, Daniel Hughes, Blake Macdonald, Blake Nikitaras, Kurtis Patterson, Jason Sangha, Steve Smith, David Warner
Wicket-Keepers: Matthew Gilkes, Baxter Holt, Lachlan Shaw
All-Rounders: Sean Abbott, Jack Edwards, Hayden Kerr, Joel Davies, Will Salzmann
Fast Bowlers: Jackson Bird, Pat Cummins, Ben Dwarshuis, Ryan Hadley, Liam Hatcher, Josh Hazlewood, Ross Pawson, Mitchell Starc, Chris Tremain, Jack Nisbet, Hunar Verma
Spinners: Chris Green, Nathan Lyon, Tanveer Sangha, Adam Zampa
Analysis:
It seemed the criticism of the Blues’ ignorance in overlooking players bashing the door down in Premier Cricket in favour of ‘pathway’ players and out-of-form veterans was finally justified last season, as they finally looked to give opportunities to mature-agers such as Green and Macdonald.
On paper, the squad possesses plenty of young talent, but one of the main challenges Shipperd will face is getting the most out of his senior players.
Kurtis Patterson relinquished the captaincy after a below-par season which saw him get dropped from the side and will look to bounce back strong after a disappointing year. Jason Sangha exploded onto the domestic scene after impressing at under-19 level but has struggled to realise his potential since.
Kurtis Patterson stepped down from captaining the Blues. (Photo by Jason McCawley/Getty Images)
Daniel Hughes was a saving grace at the top of the order last season and can consider himself incredibly unlucky at being left out of the initial ODI squads in the lead-up to the World Cup after one of the most prolific Marsh Cup seasons in history last season.
Don’t be surprised if Shipperd unleashes a new-look top order next season, with Ryan Hackney and Blake Macdonald likely to feature in the top three, with the former smashing 961 runs in Premier Cricket last season, while Blake Nikiratas’ poor form last season will likely see him pushed down the pecking order.
Ollie Davies will be looking to cement his spot in the Marsh Cup side, following selection in the Australia A one-day squad.
Incumbent keeper Baxter Holt will likely take the gloves again in Shield cricket but may be sweating on his spot if he doesn’t continue to improve, with the often inconsistent but capable Matt Gilkes poised to fill the void. Jack Edwards is one who will be hoping to feature more regularly at domestic level after an impressive knock of 138 against South Australia in March.
Versatile all-rounder Hayden Kerr will be used in a variety of roles once again, while Joel Davies is also likely to feature at some stage in white-ball cricket.
New South Wales has learned to live without the likes of Smith, Warner, Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins among others, but the looming unavailability of all-rounder Sean Abbott is likely to leave a gaping hole in their lower order and bowling stocks that will be hard to fill, both from a talent and team balance perspective, after being the leading wicket-taker in Shield cricket last season for the Blues, despite playing just six matches.
The addition of Bird adds potency to a bowling attack that struggled to take wickets last season, while the emergence of Ben Dwarshuis as a skilled red-ball bowler adds another dimension to their bowling stocks. Chris Tremain, who Shipperd coached at Victoria, will be turned to when needed, while Liam Hatcher will be looking to cement his spot in the side.
Green’s strong form last season should see him feature again in red-ball cricket, however, he will face competition with promising leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha and Nathan Lyon both returning from their respective injuries. Lyon’s return date is unclear as he recovers from the calf injury he sustained in the Ashes at the end of June, but will almost certainly feature for the Blues in Shield cricket early in the season if fit.
Sangha, meanwhile, was recently named in Australia’s ODI side to take on South Africa despite the 21-year-old not playing any professional cricket for nearly a year, highlighting how highly national selectors rate the uncapped youngster, who looms as a potential inclusion in Australia’s World Cup squad in October.
Predicted Sheffield Shield XI:
Ryan Hackney
Daniel Hughes
Blake Macdonald
Kurtis Patterson
Moises Henriques (c)
Jack Edwards
Baxter Holt (wk)
Chris Green
Ben Dwarshuis
Jackson Bird
Nathan Lyon
Predicted One-Day Cup XI:
Daniel Hughes
Kurtis Patterson
Moises Henriques (c)
Matt Gilkes (wk)
Jack Edwards
Joel Davies
Hayden Kerr
Chris Green
Ben Dwarshuis
Chris Tremain
Liam Hatcher
*Sean Abbott, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, David Warner, Tanveer Sangha and Adam Zampa excluded due potential national team commitments.
How They’ll Go: Greg Shipperd has his work cut out for him, but if there’s anyone that can turn a sinking ship around, it’s him. It won’t be an immediate return to the top for the Blues, but there is certainly enough talent in the squad to win games of cricket and perform at a much higher level than what we saw from them in 2022/23.
Shield Prediction: 5th
One-Day Cup Prediction: 4th
badmanners
Roar Rookie
https://www.cricketnsw.com.au/news/3660811/blues-go-back-to-the-future?fbclid=IwAR24nFTZcrI-uvNXq3DuHX3H0eqRR2eteDHlsUa9v0E6ig5-1oqxZuGdEuI
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Interesting predicted Shield 11 with its pace attack; a 50yo medium pace swing bowler and a left arm medium pacer. Edwards and Henriques are barely part timers.
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Just short of middle-of-the-road.
Michael Coote
Roar Rookie
No I am not, unlike every Western Australian I have ever met, "single state protective" and automatically assumes everyone else is. I am single Nation protective who unlike so many others, doesn't care where Australian players come from. I don't care if an Australian team has 5 WA players in it and none from NSW as long as it is the best Australian 11. Never yet met any WA person who would accept the opposite. I will accept that maybe I should not have written that post but it had nothing to do with being a NSW supporter nor an attack on WA Cricket, it was in support of the Author who took the trouble of doing the research and writing the article in the first place.
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
Completely agree Jeff, but it takes a serious Western Australian supporter to use an article which is 100% about NSW to make that point! :happy: Morris will likely have a watershed season. It stands to reason he'll receive his first Test cap at some point because the quicks will have had a fair workload from now until the end of March. That means he needs to be managed well in the leadup to December when the Tests start. I'm most interested in how he goes on slower pitches. He clearly kills it at the WACA but what genuine quick doesn't like bowling there. It's a shame NSW is rebuilding because he'd be tested on a slow SCG or Drummoyne track if the Blues had some decent bats,
Jeff
Roar Rookie
Nah. Lance Morris is very close to becoming a national (Test) stalwart (for a couple of years at least), so is worthy of discussion re the Shield comp and how his influence is impacting his team and how that will also impact the NSW side (and other teams) that will come up against him (and his team) domestically. No State side performs in a bubble. So NSW's fortunes in the Shield are tied to the players and teams they come up against. Indeed, it would be arrogant of some (not you BG) to try and make an assessment of the NSW team's capabilities in isolation, without benchmarking it against the sides it will come up against.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
I doubt a single comment in an article is really that big a deal. Well, other than to you, Michael. It's kind of how The Roar works when it comes to the Shield comp. We all share our observations for the greater good re the domestic comp, as it rarely gets the coverage it deserves. But feel free to continue being unnecessarily single-State-protective if that's your parochial objective. Or if you just feel like making a comment for comments sake. But the rest of us enjoy sharing observations from "around the grounds". What a shame you're not on board with that, Michael. Most fervent Shield followers will take - and exchange - info whenever it becomes available. But obviously not everyone.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
Sick up n fed
Rellum
Roar Guru
NSW is the prime example of everything wrong with pathways in this country and why we are seeing less and less talent coming through
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
I think there's been an assumption in NSW cricket that guys like Kurtis Patterson have the skills to bring on other players but that's a seriously tough ask for a few reasons. First of all, for the past half dozen years, he's been trying to win back his Test spot, albeit without any success (remember, he's only 30 now). That means his priorities have been divided. He's also been trying to carry the team while trying to get the most out of young talent. He's had some help but not a lot. I'm also not sure he's capable of really nurturing young players because not every cricketer can do this well. A large part of WA's resurgence has been thanks to Sean Marsh, IMO. He's been there for a number of seasons and has clearly got the skills to bring young guys in. He's also made a swag of runs which adds to his credibility and he's had some excellent support. Throw in a few fringe Test players like Cam Bancroft, Jos Inglis, etc and the difference between the two States is pretty stark.
badmanners
Roar Rookie
There's a lot of criticism on the NSW Cricket Facebook page about pathways players getting endless chances to prove themselves (and mostly failing) at the expense of the guys who have more of a grounding in grade cricket. Whilst WA has a bubble of great talent moving through maybe NSW is having a lean patch re talent. As other posters hear have shown the migration to other states of NSW players has continued so there's no easy answers. But if your captain is an ex test player and is averaging less than 30, well....
BigGordon
Roar Rookie
I used Edwards as an example of a problem that's been inherent in NSW cricket for the best part of a decade. He's been under a NSW "system" for the past 6 or 8 years that should have done way more with this guy's obvious talent. In reality, he's been thrown in with a bunch of other young talents, with few strong, experienced, older guiding players and expected to do well. You're right, times probably up for Edwards, but I look at him and others and think about how wasteful Blues been with such capable young players.
badmanners
Roar Rookie
Mickey Edwards turns 29 this year and has taken 14 wickets in 8 first class matches. There's nothing there that screams "Pick me" I hope he makes a go of it in England but times running out
badmanners
Roar Rookie
I believe if you finish tenth you get relegated to second division?
Chanon
Roar Rookie
We two :thumbup:
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
It'd only be right the Gong is included. Wagfa would go to matches like Canberra wouldn't. :boxing: Wagga :boxing:
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
We slammed on the way over. We drove around the island stopping at every cherry caravan, orchard, kiosk.
Chanon
Roar Rookie
We were told on the way back from Devonport via loud speaker Captain’s wise words 7-8 meter swells on our voyage back to lovely Melbourne, buckle Up :sick:
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
https://youtu.be/Yz2LaJOVAiA?si=eVwwuIgaNufL5WKl This is one of my faves
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
No installations from me. I didn't eat on the was to Tassie or back. But l could smell it. And l thought why would you go on a packaged tour. I'll put a post up from Python.