Young NSW opener Jack Edwards faced up to Mitchell Starc ‘160km bumper’ and said it was fun
TEENAGE opener Jack Edwards continues to be a silver lining in a tough opening to the season for NSW. Another is Sean Abbott who is pushing for Australian selection after yet another five-wicket haul.
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THE mark of Jack Edwards as a future Australian star might be that he emerged from a blistering Mitchell Starc spell with a smile on his face.
NSW could be in for a long season if their sketchy early season batting form is anything to go by, but 18-year-old opener Edwards is the one silver lining.
Another is Sean Abbott - and the fast bowler has put his name firmly on the radar of Australian selectors after a second successive five-wicket haul led NSW to their first win of the one-day cup.
Test spearheads Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins are due back for the Blues’ next match against Queensland next Monday, but NSW are going to have a hard time taking the new ball off Abbott after he single-handedly demolished Tasmania on Tuesday night at North Sydney Oval.
For two straight matches, Abbott has taken a wicket with the first ball of the innings and bettered his career-best bowling figures – on Tuesday night setting a new mark with 5-43 from just eight overs to deliver the desperate Blues a commanding 88-run win.
“It’s definitely nice to get some reward for a lot of hard work in the off-season,” Abbott told Fox Cricket.
That NSW reached 239 was mostly down to Edwards who rose above another mediocre Blues performance with an impressive 68 off 50 balls.
In a pre-season match Edwards played for NSW against a National Performance Squad featuring Starc and Nathan Lyon in its arsenal and managed a classy 66 off 92.
According to Jack’s brother, Mickey, Starc bowled a “160km bumper” about an inch past Jack’s nose, but the Australian under 19s World Cup star is adamant the experience was “fun.”
“It was fun. It was a good challenge against Starc and Lyon,” he said.
“There are opportunities (here for the Blues) for whoever wants to take them.
“I think the under 19s World Cup showed me what it takes to be at the next level playing against better bowlers and it gave me a lot of confidence I can perform at that level and hopefully this one as well.”
Fast bowler Mickey also played for NSW on Tuesday night against the Tigers, and the pair are the first brothers since Mark and Steve Waugh to represent the Blues.
The pair are five years apart in age but share the same long blond surfy locks.