Sheffield Shield Preview: Which players can get back into the Aussie Test using the new Sheffield Shield season?
Hope springs eternal for a number of state cricketers hoping to use the Sheffield Shield competition to enhance their international hopes. Just who is in line for higher honours as the domestic competition kicks off?
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Original fears there would be no Sheffield Shield cricket before this summer’s all-important Test series against India have been cast aside, in a major boost for the Australian team.
Queensland take on Tasmania and South Australia host Western Australia on Saturday in the opening round of the famous first-class competition.
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Australia’s Test XI is well settled, but there are always opportunities available for those who can make a name for themselves in the Shield.
Here’s the ones to watch, with matches to be shown live on Kayo.
QUEENSLAND
Marnus Labuschagne: Now in Australia’s top three batsmen, Labuschagne will be looking to build confidence and rhythm for what shapes as a huge summer for him. By his own admission, he knows India will have done their homework on him and he must continue to evolve.
Joe Burns: Virtually locked in for the first Test, but the fact there has been no cricket played since February does put some heat on if Burns fails and others prosper. A score in the first four rounds should be enough, Burns has earned a bit of loyalty and Australia are keen to give it to him.
Usman Khawaja: Despite the fact he has been gradually dropped from all teams over the past 18 months, Khawaja still remains close to next cab off the rank provided he can score runs. Selectors know what he’s capable on home soil if he’s in form, so don’t write of a Khawaja comeback against India.
Michael Neser: Sits behind the big gun bowlers, but with Australia having to pick a bigger than usual squad, the Queenslander is firmly in the mix. Reliable, crafty and ultimate team man, Neser has to make his Test debut at some point and an injury or COVID-19 setback might be all it takes.
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Travis Head: The lone South Australian in the Test picture, Head made impressive progress last summer against New Zealand, scoring a big hundred at the MCG. Like Burns, and Matt Wade, pressure will be there if he doesn’t fire in a couple of Tests, but Head has been worth the investment.
TASMANIA
Tim Paine: The Test skipper has been itching to get back onto the park, given there’s been no Test matches since January. The rest may have done the 35-year-old well at this stage of his career, but he’ll be keen to assert himself behind the stumps quickly given the crucial role he has to play leading the team against the might of India. Paine was thrust into the deep end against India and lost two summers ago and there’ll be no man more determined to turn the tables.
Matthew Wade: The feisty batsman is taking the first two Shield matches off to be with his family after a tough six weeks inside the Australia white ball bubble. Has become a very solid middle-order option for Australia, but like Head, slightly vulnerable should selectors decide they want an all-rounder.
NSW
Mitchell Starc: Rare opportunity for Starc to be in complete control of his own red-ball preparations, given he’s not in the IPL or traversing the world with the Australian limited overs’ teams. Starc is close to unplayable at this level and he is a confidence player.
Nathan Lyon: Went to England for six weeks with the white ball team and didn’t get a single match to show for it. However, the trip gave plenty of opportunity to train in the nets and Lyon will be itching for a bowl. The last Test this summer shapes as his 100th Test – what an opportunity for one of the game’s great achievers.
Kurtis Patterson: Scored a hundred in his last Test – but that was two summers ago now. Injury and timing has worked against Pattinson since then, however, he will once again enter the picture if he can put runs on the board.
MORE CRICKET:
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Australia v India tour: Allan Border says Australia must not bow down to India on scheduling changes
VICTORIA
Will Pucovski: Superstar talent who will never be far from the selectors’ thoughts. He would have played a Test by now if not for his well-documented experiences with mental health. Cricket Australia will be sure to look after him especially, given the mental demands and isolation of the bubble.
Nic Maddinson: Like his teammate Pucovski, Maddinson’s charge towards potential Test selection last summer was also affected by mental health challenges. After leaving NSW, Maddinson has transformed himself into arguably the most impressive red-ball batsman in the Shield and huge opportunity for him to kick on.
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Cameron Green: The-next-big-thing in Australian cricket. Selectors will be cautious in pushing the prodigious all-rounder too soon given the issues he experienced with his lower back last summer. That said, the temptation to blood a kid who can average 40 with the bat and 20 with the ball is almost overwhelming.
Ashton Agar: Australia is in desperate need of a second spinner as insurance for Lyon, and as a potential double-act in Sydney. Playing four straight matches on Adelaide wickets that will be well-used over the course of bulk Shield matches could work in the spinner’s favour.
