Openers Battle to Regain the Faith

For the purists amongst us, the return of the Sheffield Shield after what felt like three years of Big Bash was greeted with cheers, and after the cricket that was played over those four days we had every reason to be cheering. There were tight close contests, there were stars with the bat and the ball, and talking points all the way through. But without a doubt the biggest contest came from two batsmen playing for different teams in different games in different cities, both vying for one place in an Ashes touring squad, and both looking for redemption after vastly differing cricket seasons.

At Bankstown Oval, Cameron Bancroft was making his return to first class cricket for Western Australia against New South Wales, after eleven months since the ball tampering saga interrupted his career. He had returned to club cricket in November, and had played in the BBL since his suspension had concluded, but this was his first match back in real cricket, and he had a point to prove. Meanwhile at Junction Oval, Marcus Harris made his return against Queensland for his first match for Victoria since he had been anointed as a Test batsman, and though he had been lauded for his poise in his first six Tests, a lack of big runs had left him vulnerable in the immediate future, and he needed to show he could do that. 

Whether it is clear cut or not, it does appear very likely that Dave Warner will be selected in the Ashes squad for England later this year. With his own suspension only a month away from concluding and the difficultly the Australian Test team has had at the top of the order in his absence it seems unlikely he will be passed over for that squad. Given his efforts in Canberra against Sri Lanka it would seem that Joe Burns will also be on the plane to England. If this is the case, there is only room for one more opening batsman join these two in that 16 or 17 man squad for the tour. It means that in effect there is a bat off between all of the other candidates out there looking to make that team. And while you could also include others such as Matt Renshaw, Daniel Hughes, Alex Doolan and even Jake Wetherald in this discussion, the likelihood is that the final position will come down to a direct decision between Cameron Bancroft and Marcus Harris.

And I think they both know it. 

On Day 1 at Bankstown, Bancroft crafted his innings carefully. His poise against a full strength New South Wales attack eighteen months ago had earned him his Test debut, and he now went about using another match against the same opposition to find a way back. On a day slightly shortened by rain, Bancroft stood firm, batting through the entire day to reach 73 not out from 83 overs bowled and a total of 5/183. With the wicket still difficult to score on during Day 2, he continued his defiant stand, refusing to buckle under the pressure the accurate attack threw at him. When the Western Australian innings was finally completed, Bancroft was still there, undefeated on 138 off 358 deliveries having scored almost exactly half of the Warriors total of 279. With so much having been made of Cheteshwar Pujara’s ability to bat time during the recent Test series, and the bemoaning for an Australian batsman who could do the same, Bancroft had provided exactly what those people had been asking for. Was it deliberate, or just a response to the pitch and bowling he faced? Either way, in the eyes of many it was the perfect return given the circumstances of the Test summer just gone. 

At almost the same time that Bancroft walked off Bankstown Oval with his undefeated century, Marcus Harris walked onto Junction Oval to assuage his response. There is little doubt that he would have been aware of what had occurred north of him, and what he had to do in order to draw parallel with it. Queensland had posted a total of 441 in their first innings, which gave Harris a target to bat at, and the knowledge that he had to make a mark in order to keep his team in the game. And so he did, first with Dean and then Pucovski before finding an ally in Nic Maddinson to attack the bowling. Harris played with sublimity, punching cover drives and cut shots mixed with ferocious pull shots to keep the bowlers in check. He hit 15 boundaries in his innings as he approached stumps, before being adjudged caught behind off Swepson with only a few balls remaining in the day. It’s difficult to judge whether his disappointment is in getting out so close to stumps just five runs away from his own century, or whether he felt he didn’t hit the ball. Either way, his 95 had in some ways answered the challenge laid before him by Bancroft’s innings and yet once again saw him fall short of the century milestone that he would have felt was needed under the circumstances. 

Back at Bankstown, and Western Australia chased leather for day and a half as New South Wales, led by centuries from Patterson and Nevill racked up 8 declared for 477, before giving the visitors a short time to bat before stumps on the third day. Though they lost a wicket, Bancroft was again there for Day 4, and he spent most of it in a backs-to-the-wall fight to gain a draw for him team. Much like the first innings, Bancroft kept showing the full face of his bat while wickets fell at the other end. Only Inglis and Paris could manage double figures as the Blues net tightened with Copeland and O’Keefe circling. Sangha picked up two cheap wickets, but Bancroft stood firm. He had some fortune, but all batsmen do if they are going to save a game like this. The new ball was taken, and with it some extra purchase for Steve O’Keefe. Bancroft finally made a tired lunge forward, and the ball spun and dipped wickedly past his bat, and Nevill was like a flash with the gloves as Bancroft’s balance was lost forward and was stumped. It broke the Western Australia resistance, with the final three wickets falling within six deliveries, and New South Wales had gained an innings victory. 

Bancroft’s second marathon for the match ended with his score on 86 from 263 deliveries. He was on the field for all but ten deliveries of the match, and fell just 28 deliveries short of the record of most deliveries faced in a Sheffield Shield Match. Steve Waugh holds the record with 649. Bancroft faced 621. All of this in his first appearance in a first-class match since the 3rd Test between South Africa and Australia in March last year. Statement made. 

As Bancroft and Western Australia finally fell to defeat, back at Junction Oval Marcus Harris was on a rescue mission of his own. Queensland had declared their second innings, leaving Victoria a chase of 300 to win in 80 overs, a reasonable target though on a fourth day pitch. Dean was dismissed in the first over, and at 4/110 the writing was on the wall, and one suspected that fighting for just a draw was going to be a difficult proposition. By this time Harris had passed his second half century of the match, but he was going to need more if he was to keep his name in the spotlight that Bancroft was drawing away from him. Rather than stonewall his way to a draw, Harris and partner Matt Short keep the run rate above four an over, consistently finding gaps in the field despite Queensland’s efforts to stem the run flow. On 94, Harris put Swepson over the fence to bring up his century off just 122 deliveries, a stark contrast to what had occurred at Bankstown. But this was a different scenario. The Vics were looking for victory not a draw, and at 4/164 with 34 overs remaining, they were in with a chance. The positive statement continued unabated. The 200 came up in the 56th over, leaving under a hundred to get with 24 overs remaining, and now Queensland began to employ different tactics, employing 7-2 fields and bowling wide of the stumps to try and restrict the scoring. None of it worked. Harris brought up his 150 and just kept going, find the boundaries on both sides of the wicket with ease. He was dropped twice in this period, both to the jabbed guide that plagued him in the Test series rather than playing a full-blooded cut, but the damage had probably already been done. When he was finally dismissed, pulling a Swepson ball to mid-wicket, Harris had made 174 runs from 197 deliveries, including 23 boundaries and a six. He had almost single handedly led his team to a winning run chase, in the process breaking the century barrier that had eluded him since being chosen in the Test team, and proving that he most definitely has the qualities required of a Test opening batsman. Statement returned. 

There are three rounds remaining in this summer’s Sheffield Shield season, and a final that Harris will most likely play in and Bancroft will not. These four days have been a wonderful bat-off between the two, so symmetrical and yet almost polar opposite in effect. This is not to denigrate the other excellent performances over the four days, but this battle is the one that will have my full attention over the next month.

Weatherald's Winning Double Buried By Media and Selectors Politics

While the rain erased the chance of a result in Melbourne, the outright victory in a fourth innings chase by South Australia in Perth was a refreshing sight for cricket observers – until one remembers that the modern day W.A.C.A. wicket has seen plenty of fourth innings victories as the surface has changed over the years. The memory of South Africa chasing down over 400 against Australia, and of the run-fest between New Zealand and Australia two years ago, shows that little remains of what was once the fastest and truest surface in world cricket. More is the pity, given that it will have its second send-off to Test cricket in a few short weeks before the game is moved to the new overbearing stadium that lacks the history and suburban values that the W.A.C.A has held so dearly.

South Australia’s victory was a celebration of their well balanced team, proving once again why they have been Sheffield Shield runners-up for the past two seasons. Going in with four fast bowlers worked for them with the ball, and the efforts of Jake Weatherald, who played out of his skin for a career-defining double of 152 and 143 – his first innings saving South Australia and keeping them in the game, his second innings winning them the game – are the vindication of the faith shown in him. Given the media coverage that was given to Jake Lehmann’s double last match, and also Cameron Bancroft’s recent form, it seems ludicrous that more has not been made of his amazing achievement. Of course, the ridiculous leaking of what purports to be the Test team while the finale of this match was taking place completely overshadowed his amazing achievement, and is once again a nonsense of the sporting media in our current times. No one was suddenly stating his case for the Test side, indeed it was barely mentioned in any breath. And that is fair enough, because it would have been drawing a long bow - exactly like the Jake Lehmann possibility. But instead of covering this fairly, the media had bigger fish to fry all of a sudden.

More or less forgotten in all of this was the wonderful innings by Callum Ferguson in helping to set up this victory. He would have been disappointed with his 33 in the first innings given his chances to push for his own Test recall, but his 88 in the second innings took his team to within 70 of victory, and once again proved that his form is now good enough to give him a much better chance of a second shot in the baggy green than 12 months ago. It appears as though hit has come to nothing at this stage, but more big scores in the next two Shield games will put him in a position to be the next person on call should the Test team falter in the early Test matches. It is disappointing that he hasn’t received any coverage in this regard either, because I believe he would be a perfect fit at number six. Certainly better than the person who appears to have been given the job.

With the further injury concerns to Nathan Coulter-Nile and Jason Behrendorff, Western Australia’s bowling line up was unable to dislodge the Redbacks on the final day, something that suggests some difficult days ahead for them. Also given that Hilton Cartwright was only given 6 overs on the day it didn’t bode well for him in pushing his case as an all-rounder if his skipper didn’t think he was up to the challenge. It will be interesting to see when Mitch Marsh is right to bowl again, and whether his newly found form with the bat will continue once his body is expected to bowl once again as well.

The rain ruined any hope of a result in the Victoria vs Tasmania match, and it also stopped Glenn Maxwell from putting up a final case for his Test spot with a big score. He finished the truncated final day’s play at 45 not out, and given his two sixties in the previous match you would have thought he had done enough as a current member of the Test top six to retain his position. From all reports that isn’t the case, which appears to be extremely confusing and unprofessional if it is the case.

The drawn match leaves both of these teams at the foot of the Sheffield Shield table, and with little real prospect of moving up unless something incredible happens. The next two rounds will take place without the Test squad players, leaving New South Wales and Western Australia more vulnerable, but both teams are likely to have reasonable backups to take their places. What will be most interesting in the next two rounds will be the performances of the players who were either in the Test squad beforehand or on the fringe of selection this week. The way that they go about their work for themselves and their teams will now become the focus, especially when it comes to keeping in touch for the Sheffield Shield title. In most cases, whereas these three initial matches have all been able Test selection, now the fight for the Shield becomes the reality for those left behind, and that battle still looks as though it is going to be a good one.

Second String Attack Gives Renshaw the Blues

Despite having Australia’s entire pace attack withdrawn from its team to contest this week’s Sheffield Shield match against Queensland, the New South Wales second string pace attack managed just fine, helping the Blues to cruise to a six wicket victory well inside three days at Allan Border Field. And while the debate on just how many XI’s New South Wales could field that would still be competitive in the current Sheffield Shield competition is an interesting one (three is my guess), the conversation of the match revolved around the desperate situation Matt Renshaw finds himself a day out from the Test selection announcement, and the continuing push by Dan Hughes to force his way into calculations.

Renshaw’s case now lies solely in the selection panel’s opinion on what they have so far invested in him at Test level, and whether than still outweighs the form he has shown on the field in first class cricket. No doubt the selector-on-duty at Allan Border Field will take into account his misfortune in both of his dismissals in this match – adjudged caught behind in the first innings for 16 which he certainly didn’t believe he had hit, and then the classic leg side strangle to be caught behind again for just 1 in the second innings. As he watched the number of times that Warner, Maddinson and Smith all edged through or over slips in both innings of this match, Renshaw would have been thinking hard on the huge role luck has to play in cricket. At the moment he is receiving none, while others seem to be swimming in it.

Renshaw is still only 21 years of age, and has done a lot of things right since his unexpected call to the top of the Australian top order this time last year. He has been good at first slip in a team that was crying out for one, his smile lights up the field when he flashes it, and along the way he even scored some runs – quite a few on occasions. He fought through adversity on the recent tours of India and Bangladesh, and while the figures don’t show it he was one of the few batsmen to return home with his reputation fully intact. While his six innings in Shield cricket this season have only brought forth 73 runs at 12.17, it would be a decision of outrageous hypocrisy by the National Selection Panel if they were to leave him out of the team for the 1st Test. He is the future on which they hoped to build the team on, when they selected him twelve months ago. To abandon him now would be to the detriment of what they hope to achieve.

Daniel Hughes has been a different kettle of fish, with his position in the New South Wales team having been mandated by a selection panel that believe he is a future Australian representative, and thus was required to play in these early Shield games above others, notably Ed Cowan. Above all else, he has succeeded as well, and perhaps even done better than anyone would have imagined. His 98 not out here in the first innings is quite possibly the difference between the winning and losing of the match for the Blues, as it set up a lead from which Queensland was unable to put enough runs past to fully pressure the batting line up in the second innings. He also secured the high ground for his team with his 57 in the first match against South Australia. His six innings of 57, 7 not out, 25, 1, 98 not out and 23 not out leave him with 211 runs at 70.33, and he has fulfilled his brief superbly. Cameron Bancroft’s unignorably wonderful form will probably mean he won’t be in Test calculations this week, but he has certainly put his name in front of the panel for further consideration.

The massive margin of victory in this match is something that should be more of a talking point than it will be. The pace bowling quartet of Doug Bollinger, Trent Copeland, Sean Abbott and all-rounder Moises Henriques did a fantastic job in both innings, along with the help of Test spinner Nathan Lyon. Bollinger and Abbott were hostile, while Copeland was as patient as always. These three both know their roles. They are not the first choice bowlers anymore when the trio of Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins are available, and yet they single handedly took down a full strength Queensland team inside three days. Bollinger took 3/38 and 3/65, and continues to show why he was once a firm part of the Test team. It seems amazing that he has not played a Test match in seven years. Copeland was again a metronome, taking 3/33 off 23 overs and 1/25 off 14 overs. Here is another former Test bowler, whose only fallacy seems to be he doesn’t bowl at 140kph. He has never let New South Wales down. Abbott provided spark again with his 1/42 and 4/65, with his sneaky pace still as big an asset as it was when he was chosen for the ODI and T20 team three years ago. Still only 25 years of age and a more than handy batsman he still has time to make an impact at a higher level. These three were wonderful in winning this match for their team, and yet they can’t make the full strength line up. 

Behind them even come bowlers such as Harry Conway, Gurinder Sandhu, Mickey Edwards and others on the rise. New South Wales is a tough place to get a game, as can be seen by the number of former New South Welshmen plying their trade in other state teams, including Test 12th Man Jackson Bird. Hopefully batting-wise at least, there will be a Queenslander at the top of the order this time next week in the Test team.

Bancroft Blows Open Test Selection Race

Prior to the start of yesterday’s Sheffield Shield round three matches, there was differing levels of pressure upon the shoulders of the maligned trio of Matt Renshaw, Glenn Maxwell and Matthew Wade. One is a young opening batsman with the world at his feet, but in desperate need of one innings to restore his and the selectors faith in his ability. One is a maturing batsman who made his breakthrough in the Test arena this year with a century, but continues to polarise opinion as to whether he has the technique and headspace to be a Test middle order batsman. One is a team dressing room favourite who was chosen for his batting over his glove work 12 months ago, but has failed to score the runs he needed to gloss over the mistakes he makes behind the stumps. Despite this, 24 hours ago they were as likely as not to be selected on Friday in the Australian team for the 1st Test against England in Brisbane next week.

And then yesterday occurred.

There was no joy for these three men on the cricket field on the first day of their respective Sheffield Shield matches. Renshaw battled along to get to 16 before he was adjudged caught behind off Trent Copeland in Queensland’s match against New South Wales, though his reaction suggested that he at least didn’t think he had touched it. It was unfortunate timing, as is to be seen. Matthew Wade batted at five again for Tasmania, who again suffered a massive failure with the bat. Wade had struggled completely to make it to five runs, before he tried to pull a ball that wasn’t there for the shot and was bowled by Peter Siddle. Though his glove work was clean in the afternoon session, it is his continuing lack of runs that has taken the focus away from that part of his arsenal. Glenn Maxwell watched the carnage of the Tasmanian innings before entering the arena himself, and having made four runs was completely outdone by the same kind of outswinger he would face from England’s bowling attack which he edged through to the keeper in ungainly fashion. All three of these dismissals, and the lack of substance behind the innings themselves, have allowed the doubts that have been building about their ability to perform at Test level to reach a crescendo.

Even given these performances, one could sense that the selectors could look past them, and see what others may have forgotten. Renshaw was excellent in the back half of Australia’s Test summer last year, and his tenacity especially in India deserves to be recognised on his CV when it comes time to select the next Test team. Maxwell scored a pair of half centuries last week, and got starts against Bangladesh without making a bigger score, which in normal circumstances would leave him in good stead. Wade is popular in the dressing room, his keeping is better than it had been in his first appearance in the Test squad and he still should have the ability to make a big score based on his first class record.

And then yesterday occurred.

Cameron Bancroft isn’t now just knocking on the door to the Test squad, he has smashed a great big hole through it. He batted through the day in Perth to be 161 not out overnight, following on from his two superb innings against the New South Wales Test attack last week. It would be one of the most ludicrous selection decisions in recent times if his form was not rewarded with a Test spot come Friday. If indeed these Shield games were being used as a form guide for Test selection, then Bancroft has covered every question asked of him.

What becomes more intriguing is what spot he will be asked to fill in the Test team – as an opening batsman, which would mean Renshaw is dropped; as a number six batsman, meaning Maxwell would make way; or, heaven forbid, as the keeper-batsman, meaning Wade would return to Tasmania to see if he can hold his place in THAT team against Tim Paine. And the fate of several other cricketers around the nation rests with exactly this decision, as to what role Bancroft will fill.

Should Bancroft be selected as an opener, then Renshaw will go back to Shield cricket, and discussions will still be held over six and seven in the order. If it is as a number six, then Renshaw survives, Maxwell goes, and the keeper situation needs resolving only. If it is as the keeper Bancroft is selected, then it becomes even more interesting. Renshaw stays, but Bancroft could easily fill the hole at six, which could re-open the debate about an all-rounder being selected in the team to bat at seven and contribute valuable overs as an extra seam option. Such a move may well bring players like Marcus Stoinis or Moises Henriques back into the equation. As I said, where Bancroft is selected opens up some doors and closes some others.

Number six candidate Hilton Cartwright managed 35 yesterday which didn’t exactly help or hinder his cause in regards to selection, but Maxwell’s failure would only have improved his situation. He still seems to be firmly in the selectors minds for the number six position, and yesterday’s scenario would have only strengthened his chances. Callum Ferguson will be looking to post another big score in Perth to advance his claims to number six as well.

Peter Nevill and Alex Carey both kept well yesterday – Nevill with four dismissals again, including a peach of a catch off Joe Burns’ inside edge, again impressing with his quality keeping. Both will get to have a bat today, and given we have reached this ludicrous stage where our keepers are squaring off against each other with how many runs they score rather than how well they keep, then today’s innings may well be the most important of both of their careers.

Before yesterday’s play, you could have made a case that if one of the three of Renshaw, Maxwell and Wade was chosen on Friday on their current form, then all three should get that same privilege of trust. Cameron Bancroft’s efforts have single handedly blown that out of the water, and the game has changed because of it. With one man likely to have broken through into the Test team past this trio, it now opens up the way for others to do so as well. What was looking as though it would be a straight forward selection meeting on Thursday night for the National Selection Panel now looks as though it will be a much more interesting prospect.

Starc's Second Hat-Trick Completes Two Enthralling Matches in Sheffield Shield

It may have been the event that everyone will remember from the second round of the Sheffield Shield, and the fact that it came at the very conclusion of the round perhaps was the perfect way to finish it off, but Mitchell Starc’s second hat-trick of the match against Western Australia was not the most important event of the final two days of the round. Indeed, what those two days of both the Victoria vs South Australia match and the New South Wales vs Western Australia match provided was a combination of runs from several players that finally gave the phrase “competition for places” a real meaning.

While the match at the M.C.G finished in an exciting draw, with both teams having their chance to press for victory on the final day, several performances drew a spotlight to individuals who will either feel more comfortable about their chances of playing in Brisbane on November 23, or will feel their chances have increased dramatically.

Jake Lehmann’s double of 103 and 93 was exciting to watch, unorthodox in places and mirror-image of his father in other places. His disappointment at not going on in the second innings was obvious, but he can be well pleased with his efforts in this match. While the prospect of Australian coach and selector Darren having to consider his own son for selection (though he has stated publicly he makes himself ineligible when such talk is done between selectors) has excited the media, his efforts here have to be considered against those in the previous match against New South Wales, where he was monstered by the Test bowling attack in ferocious circumstances. More big runs in the next match against Western Australia would have to push his case more, but it seems unlikely Australia will gamble with him at this stage. He still has time on his side, and building a case by weight of runs this season will be the best way to do that.

Callum Ferguson’s imperious 185 not out in the second innings of this match comes more heavily weighted given his efforts in that same New South Wales match last week. His 36 mightn’t seem like much, but against the Test bowling attack in a desperate cause to revive, it holds some sway. If sheer weight of runs is what the selectors are looking for in a bid to find their ideal number six – and surely this is what these early Shield games are for – then Ferguson has filled the brief. One innings though shouldn’t be the end of the application for the position. He too will be looking for runs in Perth in order to put a gold seal on his chances. Everyone remembers how he was chosen out of the blue last year to make his debut in Hobart when he was completely out of form, and then shafted without a second chance. If he was to get a shot at the team in two weeks’ time, in a good run of form, he would not let anyone down.

Perhaps the most important innings came from incumbent number six Glenn Maxwell, whose double of 60 and 64 batting at number three will have eased his concerns about retaining his place. Not going on to register a bigger score will be something he will be disappointed in. Apart from the runs, the selectors will have been interested in the bowling tactics of the South Australians to him. Dan Worrall took to him late in his first innings, coming around the wicket and bowling short at his body. His awkward dismissal to one of these deliveries – that admittedly did not get up at all leaving a confused indecision in the shot such that he just dragged the ball around onto his stumps – encouraged the same attack to be taken up in the second innings. At times Maxwell looked awkward under this direction, but he also played a couple of nice hook shots to dispatch deliveries. This play may have stuck with the selectors. It most definitely will have been watched with interest by the English bowlers. If Maxwell plays in Brisbane, you can be sure this tactic will be used against him, probably sooner rather than later. In the long run, if the selectors are serious about their team selection being on form, then Maxwell’s match should have gone a long way to securing his place for the 1st Test, notwithstanding the efforts of the other batsmen in line behind him.

The sideline to these performances was the head to head battle of two of Australia’s best regarded leg spinners. Fawad Ahmed again did the job required of him, taking 3/82 and 3/122 for Victoria, bamboozling the tail in the first innings, and taking out the middle order in the second innings. Adam Zampa struggled and was dealt with harshly throughout, finishing with 1/123 and 2/112 for the match. Fawad has shown he can change his style of attack between the short form and long form of the game with few problems. At the moment, Zampa hasn’t quite got that change correct. Hopefully for the future’s sake, both conversed or at least watched what the other was doing and picked up some tips along the way.

In the New South Wales vs Western Australia match, where the Warriors opened up with 0/179 in their second innings in an unlikely chase of 395 for victory, only to lose 10/44 in the final session to a rampant Test attack, Steve Smith’s 76 and 127 came at the right time, tuning up for a Test series where he will be firmly in the firing line. Dave Warner’s pair of fives will not have been accepted so gleefully, but he too looks ready for the challenge ahead. Kurtis Patterson’s double of 36 and 66 again reminded us how close he must have been to Test selection last season when Nic Maddinson was given his chance. One wonders if Patterson had been chosen at that stage whether we would be having any discussion over our current number six position in the Test team.

Shaun Marsh again firmly thrust his best foot forward in Test discussions with 91 in the second innings of the Western Australia vs New South Wales match, and will have the backing of the loud and ferocious cries of everyone west of Adelaide. For the selectors it is form that cannot be denied, and you can only admire his efforts in doing what every batsman dropped from a team has to do to try and get a recall – score a lot of runs. Marsh has done that, and at least he has given himself every opportunity to be selected again. Whether or not it succeeds is something he cannot do any more about.

Hilton Cartwright picked the worst time possible to pick up a pair, on the big stage against the Australian bowling line up. You can only feel for him, having sat around for the better part of three hours watching his opening pair put on 179 runs for the first wicket, and then harmlessly giving gully catching practice an over later. Maxwell’s runs in Melbourne and his dual failure in Sydney may have cost him his chance of playing in Brisbane, but with one Shield game to go before that team is selected, he can make up for that with a massive score next week. Perhaps.

The best and worst of this match circled around Cameron Bancroft and his efforts with the bat.
Bancroft showed his credentials against the Australian Test bowling attack, carrying his bat in the Western Australian first innings for 76 runs, which was a wonderful effort. He then followed this up with 86 in the second innings in that 179 run opening stand with Marsh, showing that his form was no fluke. He showed that, should he be given an opportunity in the Test team he won’t let anyone down. And, given Matt Renshaw’s well publicised struggles with the bat at the moment, it probably isn’t any wonder that both Marsh and Bancroft have been getting the media’s attention.
However…
Some portions of the media then took it upon themselves to nominate Bancroft as a Test candidate… as the Test wicket-keeper. Now, we know everyone is out there trying to manufacture a story to sell their papers or get people to hit on their websites, but to start coming out with this kind of story is just a nonsense. Bancroft is a fine batsman, and a serviceable backstop of a keeper in the short form of the game. He is the Warriors wicket-keeper in Shield cricket, only because of Shane Whiteman’s injury induced absence. He is not in the same class of gloveman as Nevill or Carey, or dare I say it, Wade. His number one trade in cricket is as a batsman, and that is all he should be being considered as. And, surely, that is all he is being considered as by the selectors. But the raising of this by media sources shows two things – one, what lengths they will go to in order to have a story to sell, and two, the lengths this nonsense about a wicket-keeper having to be a batsman to be selected has come to. The wicket-keeper is a specialist position, and should be chosen as such. If we are going to contemplate choosing a part timer as keeper just for the fact he has scored a few runs, then we have dragged the sport to its less than basic levels. Let’s hope this does not occur.

If nothing else, at least there is now a fight for the number six position in the right way, with a number of batsmen scoring runs to bring them to notice. With the selection only a week away, the final audition comes over the first four days of next week, when we will see what our final nominations can achieve.

Tasmania's Batting Collapse Threatens Their New Order

The brave new world of Tasmanian cricket is already at crisis point a month into the 2017/18 season, and it is a difficult thing to work out what can possibly be done to stop the decline. After a forgettable JLT Cup where wins were few and highlights even rarer, they have been defeated heavily in both of the opening Sheffield Shield rounds with barely a raised voice in anger. The alarm bells must be ringing loud and clear in the southern state, but are there any answers forthcoming?

In a match dominated by low scores and solid if not spectacularly threatening bowling, Queensland scrapped their way to a seven wicket victory inside three days at Bellerive Oval, consigning Tasmania to the cellar of the Shield table and with a number of questions needing immediate answers. While they have banked on a mixture of experience and youth in their team to start the summer, the batting line up is assuredly not working at the moment. Whereas Queensland was guided by Test graduates Joe Burns and Usman Khawaja in negotiating the tricky fourth innings chase of 156 for victory, the Tigers batting has found no such resolve in the first games of the season.

In two innings against Western Australia and two against Queensland, Tasmania has not managed to score above 250. Its 231 in the first innings in Perth was followed by the record low total of 63. Here at home against Queensland, they scored 186 and 150. No matter what the conditions are that you are playing in, scores like that are not going to win you cricket matches. The bowlers have done their best to keep their opponents in check, but when the hammer has come down their best has just fallen short of maintaining a status quo in the runs department.

On paper the top seven looks like it could be formidable. The experience of Jordan Silk, Alex Doolan, George Bailey and Matthew Wade is mixed with the young tyros in Jake Doran, Beau Webster and Ben McDermott. Any combination these batsmen at the crease should be performing a role for the team, and ensuring that at least a couple who make starts go on with it to make a substantial score.
But it just isn’t happening. The opening partnerships have been 15, 4, 1 and 12. Doran’s admirable gritty 54 in the first innings in Perth has been followed by scores of 4, 0 and 0. Ben McDermott at seven has done well in the first innings of matches with 45 not out and 37, but followed those with ducks in both second innings. None of the senior players looks like making a score to carry the team. Here on Sunday, with the bowlers having done a wonderful job to somehow grab a five run first innings lead, Silk and Doolan had put together an 80 run partnership to get the score to 1/92 and a 97 run lead, and Tasmania looked to be in the driver’s seat. They then lost 8/30 in an abysmal collapse that rivalled the 9/35 in the second innings in Perth, and the match was lost at that point.
The problem now lies in what to do next. On paper (again that term) this looks to be the best batting line up Tasmania can produce. How many failures with the bat do you accept before you have to relegate the youth such as Doran back to Grade cricket? Doran was feted throughout his junior cricket days, but so far has failed to come to terms with first class cricket. McDermott has already had some starring moments but he needs to develop consistency, and quickly. Perhaps more than this, the senior players need to find something to inspire their team. George Bailey needs a score for his own sake let alone his team, while Silk and Doolan need to convert their starts to much bigger scores. Matthew Wade and Jackson Bird may both be away from the squad on Test duty following the next Shield game – or they may not.

Tasmania travels to Melbourne to play Victoria next week, against a team also finding the going tougher than they have in recent seasons. Whatever players Tasmania rest their success on for that fixture they need to find some runs, or else the season may well be over for them before the Test matches even start. Should that be the case, it could trigger a whole new set of circumstances at the selection table, and careers may well be changed forever as a result.

Failed Auditions in Shield Leave Test Spots Wide Open

Is it just a matter of stage fright, or a genuine lack of contenders for the positions available, or a combination of difficult pitches around the country, that has left Australian cricket supporters – and most probably the selectors – with little to no performances on which to decide who might be playing in Brisbane for the Australian team on November 23rd.

A succession of low scores at Bellerive Oval has shown little for anyone who may have been hoping to state their case for selection. Tasmania’s only probable candidates have had mixed games again. Jackson Bird took 3/41 in his attempt to continue carrying the drinks as Australia’s 12th Man, and if selection policy is transparent then Bird should be the extra paceman to be chosen in the twelve. Given the history of recent selections this is therefore not a given.

This perhaps also relates to Matthew Wade, who continues to be unable to find the one big score he needs which would allow the selectors to choose him in Brisbane without argument. Scores of 9 and 17 have done nothing to keep the whole country at bay regarding his selection, and it has now completely overshadowed his keeping. In fact, no one is even looking at his keeping now, they are more concerned with his batting. This is where the problem with our national keeper now lies, in that everyone is waiting for one of them to make a score, and then anoint them as the keeper, rather than watching their handling skills and judging their possible selection on that. Of the other keepers in the country, no one has scored the runs that would give them a selection advantage. Jimmy Peirson scored 14, Alex Carey scored 36 and Peter Nevill scored 32. At the moment it looks like no matter who is chosen as the Test keeper, they are not going to be scoring Gilchrist or Haddin-like runs. Given this is the case, then surely the best keeper should be the one who is chosen, and hope they are able to contribute as much as possible with the bat. 

Josh Hazlewood's return was great news for the selectors, and his initial burst of 3/3 would have been a weight off in regards to their bowling selections for Brisbane. It was unfortunate for those looking to press their claims with the bat, as he took out Shaun Marsh, Hilton Cartwright and Mitch Marsh in quick succession, leaving their prospects once again, in limbo. Their counterparts for New South Wales fared little better, with only Steve Smith able to get beyond 40 in the top six. 

Better was to come from the Victoria and South Australia match, with batting contenders Travis Head (67) and Glenn Maxwell (60) at least getting on the board without being able to get that century they would have both craved. Those innings fell to a scintillating innings from Jake Lehmann and a circumspect opening innings from Marcus Harris, who both scored 103 each. You would suspect neither is being seriously considered for Brisbane, but neither have they done themselves any harm in the process. Matt Renshaw would have given his eye teeth for such an innings at this stage, with his dismissal for 1 against Tasmania allowing the media wolves to continue their growling approach. 

As has been the case for some time, few questions have been answered so far in regards to the positions available in Australia's Test team. The opportunity is still there for someone to put in a performance so eye catching that they are impossible to pass over. Perhaps the next two days will help.

Batsmen See Pink as Shield Matches get Bowled Over

Is the batting of the majority of Australia’ domestic batsmen really as poor as it seemed over the weekend? Or is the bowling as potent and brilliant as it appeared? Or do we have a problem with the pink ball and day/night first class matches? Whatever the case may be, the fact that only one of the three Sheffield Shield opening round matches made it into the fourth day – and only a session of that as well – does pose some serious questions in regards to either the quality of the cricket or the massive influence of the ball and pitch conditions on the outcome of these games.

At the ‘Gabba, where Queensland monstered Victoria in a massive turnaround after the first half of the first day, only Usman Khawaja managed to score more than fifty in an innings, top scoring in both innings with 40 and 122 which removes any doubt about his selection for the 1st Test (if there was any doubt remaining). He was the final wicket to fall in the second innings having crafted a match winning lead of 329 with help from his other batsmen who all managed starts. Victoria’s collapse in both innings to an unheralded bowling attack of Neser, Doggett, Feldman, Swepson and Wildermuth perhaps speaks clearly of a home ground advantage. It also cast further doubt on Test aspirants such as Glenn Maxwell (7 & 20) and Aaron Finch (41 & 0) who failed to make a case for their selection, nor did Peter Siddle (0/30 & 2/64). In fact, the best case put forward in this match was by the big Victorian paceman Chris Tremain, who not only made 20 and 47 with the bat (top score in the second innings) but was excellent with the ball, taking 4/36 and 3/81 in a sterling effort. If form is what the selectors are going to take from these lead up matches to the Test match, then Tremain has started out in the right fashion.

At the Adelaide Oval, where the day/night Test will take place against England, it was carnage followed by serenity followed by carnage in a game that couldn’t even fill in three days of cricket. South Australia’s collapse for 92 on the first afternoon was sparked not by the three Test bowlers in the line-up, but the journeyman Trent Copeland who tore through the Redbacks batting with good old fashioned swing and seam, finishing with 6/24. Of course, if form was used in selection… but you know (and better yet Trent knows) he won’t even be considered for the Test team. It’s pace you need, not other varieties. The Blues reply was just as shaky, except that Dave Warner stood up with a wonderful 83 that spoke volumes of his form and mindset, and 57 from Daniel Hughes to help justify the decision of the selectors to go for him in front of Ed Cowan – though Cowan’s presence at opener instead of Nic Maddinson may well have proved a better option. Maddinson’s defence was shown up terribly in both innings, and despite the fact that the deliveries he received would probably have accounted for anyone he won’t feel any better about it. After all of the batting blues, this was then followed by an amazing opening partnership for the Redbacks second innings of 137 between Dalton and Weatherald who looked calm and collected. Once the breakthrough had been made however, the carnage began. Mitchell Starc gave a glimpse of what might be to come, taking three wickets in the last half hour of the second evening’s play, with both Travis Head and Jake Lehmann getting unplayable deliveries that smashed their stumps. On the third afternoon Starc cleaned up the mess, finishing with 8/73 in bowling out South Australia for 206. It was frightening at times watching Starc bowl, while Ferguson’s innings in staving off the attack was quite an effort, one that should have caught a discerning selector’s eye in how he played against a near Test strength bowling attack. New South Wales lost four wickets in chasing down the 57 runs they needed for victory, which was proof more of the bowler friendly conditions than anything poor about the batting itself. Anyone buying tickets for the 4th and 5th days of the Adelaide Test are extraordinarily optimistic.

At the W.A.C.A. the game made it to the fourth day, but it was barely worth it. The warriors had ground out 323 in their first innings thanks to Test aspirants Shaun Marsh (63), Hilton Cartwright (61) and Nathan Coulter-Nile (42). Tasmania’s reply of 231 was highlighted by gutsy knocks from two young stars they are banking their future on, Jake Doran grinding out 54 before being badly run out, and Ben McDermott whose 45 not out improved the innings from number seven. Western Australia was 7/145 with only a lead of 237 before Coulter-Nile with 52 and Jye Richardson with 71 took the game away with a partnership of 120, and the declaration at 9/272 left the Tigers a chase of 365 for victory.

And… disaster.

Tasmania’s second innings lasted for one ball over 23 overs, and they managed only 63 runs. They were in fact 9/35, and only Beau Webster with 33 not out extended the innings beyond absolute embarrassment. Their 63 still ranks as their lowest ever total in the Sheffield Shield, and raises some more questions in the process.

The question has to be asked – were the wickets prepared for this round of cricket too bowler-friendly in order to preserve the pink ball for 80 overs? Certainly if you watched the game rom Adelaide, the ball zipped around amazingly in the air and off the seam. The balls that rissoled Maddinson in the first innings, and the two from Starc to get Head and Lehmann in the second innings, were quite frightening. There was literally nothing the batsmen could do about them, and it is highly unlikely in a normal first class match on a prepared wicket that the bowlers could get the ball to do what they did. Sure, there is no problem with the bowlers having the conditions in their favour from time to time, and once the batsmen had played themselves in they seemed to handle the conditions well. But perhaps – just perhaps – the pitches were just a tad too friendly across the board for this first round. With the next two rounds reverting to good old fashioned red ball daytime cricket, perhaps we will get a better reflection on the current form of our cricketers with both bat and ball.

Scorecard: Sheffield Shield Round 1: Queensland vs Victoria

Scorecard: Sheffield Shield Round 1: Western Australia vs Tasmania

Scorecard: Sheffield Shield Round 1: South Australia vs New South Wales

Klinger and Paine Shown the Age Card as Shield Gets Underway

Wet conditions, a pink ball and the second half of each day being played out under lights combined for some interesting first up conditions for the new Sheffield Shield season. While both opening matches are still wide open for any result, some of the individuals who are looking beyond the result of the match may still have questions of their own to answer.

Queensland profited heavily from the 53 runs that was added by the final two wickets, taking the score from 8/113 to 166 all out in a disappointing start for them. While the two big pacemen Chris Tremain and Scott Boland were the main destroyers for Victoria taking 4/36 and 4/43 respectively, it was once again the leg spin of Fawad Ahmed who made the two most crucial inroads, dismissing both Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne in his opening spell. It was excellent captaincy by Peter Handscomb to bring Fawad on against Khawaja, much as many have being doing against him in the JLT Cup as well after his inability to show any dominance again spin bowling in recent times. It worked a treat here, as Fawad beat him consistently with his wrong ‘un outside off stump, before eventually luring a prodding bat to gain an edge to slip to be dismissed for 40. He had shown enough at the crease again to suggest he is a lock for the Test team, but if I was the England captain I would be priming my spinners to warm up every time Khawaja comes to the crease this summer, and starve him of the faster bowling he prefers. The beautiful slider Fawad bowled to Labuschagne to have him plumb LBW was another beauty, beating him off the wicket wonderfully. Fawad finished with 2/52 on a first day ‘Gabba wicket with a pink ball, and words cannot express enough how good his spell was.

There was a long wait with a rain delay, and the Vics might have thought they’d get out of batting until the following day, but in the end 14 overs were deemed necessary, and three wickets fell in that time, two to debutante fast bowler Brendan Doggett. Nightwatchman Peter Siddle, brought in to shield Glenn Maxwell who was slated to bat at three could only buy him six deliveries. Maxwell and Handscomb are not out overnight, and have a tough task today not only for their State but in Maxwell’s case in scoring enough runs personally to ensure the selectors he is still the man they need in the Test team. At 3/43 and still 123 runs behind, it shapes as an interesting day’s play.

At the W.A.C.A. another captain won the toss and elected to field, and despite an excellent start by Western Australia the game had pulled back to level pegging by the time stumps had been called. Wet weather hampered the start here as well, but the Warriors looked to be in a powerful position at 1/146 half way through the day, so the fact that Tasmania was able to fight back to have them 7/285 at stumps was quite an achievement. The two batsmen who are the most likely to be pushing for a Test spot in Brisbane – Shaun Marsh and Hilton Cartwright – both did their cause no harm, except that after making a good start they were unable to go on and make the big century both would have been looking for. Marsh fell on 63 and Cartwright on 61 and no doubt both of them thought they left some runs out there. Following this there was only Mitch Marsh’s 36, Ashton Turner’s 32 and Nathan Coulter-Nile’s slashing 36 not out that progressed the innings to their point they are at. While the bowling was probably steady at best, the conditions favoured the pink ball and probably helped their penetration as the evening wore on. The second day will probably answer the question as to the potency of both teams bowling attacks.

The biggest news from the W.A.C.A. was the omission of Michael Klinger from the Western Australian team and Tim Paine from the Tasmanian team. Klinger hasn’t missed a match in the four years he has been a part of the Warriors team, and form didn’t seem to be an issue. Does this follow in the trend of Ed Cowan’s omission by New South Wales? Klinger at 37 is on the older side of the cricket community, but he has barely slipped a notch in his batting over the years. Instead we have inserted players such as Cartwright, Marcus Stoinis and Ash Turner into the top six, all of whom are all-rounders rather than the specialist top order batsman. Once they had decided that Cartwright was going to bat at three it did probably spell and end to Klinger’s current chances. Whether or not this comes back to bite them in the arse will only be seen by the end of Day 4. Tim Paine’s omission was probably more likely, despite the fact he had just returned from India as Australia’s chosen T20 wicket-keeper batsman, and (to be honest) without question the better gloveman than chosen wicket-keeper Matthew Wade, who has transferred from Victoria in the off season. Tasmania has a hundred wicket-keepers to choose from, apart from Wade and Paine, both chosen batsmen Jake Doran and Ben McDermott have done the job, and Ben Dunk remains out of the first class squad for the moment. How Paine takes this rejection will be interesting, because had he been playing these initial Shield matches he would have been right in the frame for the Test keeper’s spot. With the country’s tenth or twelfth best custodian playing in from of him in this match, one wonders just how he feels about his current position.
And just for good measure, let's add in the fact that Jason Behrendorff, who must be an outside chance of making the Test XII for Brisbane, isn't playing in this match because apparently he has 'bowled too much' in recent times in his comeback from injury, so he has to be 'managed'. I mean... we're building up to an Ashes series, and one of the main contenders can't play because he may re-injure himself. Did anyone ask Behrendorff what HE thought about that? All in all, it has been one of the strangest starts to a Sheffield Shield, possibly ever. Let's hope the rest of the cricket can compensate for some of the strange things happening behind closed doors off the field.