Premier Cricket 2018-19: Monash Tigers hunting a fifth consecutive finals appearance this season
MONASH Tigers will lean on their established top six to reverse its batting woes this Premier Cricket season.
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MONASH Tigers will lean on their established top six to reverse its batting woes this Premier Cricket season.
Captain Daniel Sartori, Sam Taylor, Andrew Chalkley, Adam Amin, Marcus Berryman, Sam Mills and Dom Matarazzo averaged between 15 and 40 last summer but no Tigers batsman made a century in 2017-18.
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Those six will again carry Monash’s hopes with the bat as it chases a fifth consecutive finals appearance.
Sartori has put the onus on his batsmen to lift their output in 2018-19.
“Be willing to, once you have got that start, do a bit of hard work rather than playing a loose shot thinking you’re in and then suddenly you’re out,” Sartori said.
“It’s about taking responsibility once a batter gets in.
“I’ve never played in a game when one of our batters has got a hundred and we lost.
“That’s what we talk about, getting a big score … when you’re getting 50s and 60s, you’re still letting the opposition get in.”
While the batting group will remain similar this campaign, the bowling attack has been strengthened in the off-season.
Teenage leg-spinning sensation Tom O’Connell will call Central Reserve home after coming across from South Australia.
O’Connell played four JLT Cup games with Victoria last month and is one of the country’s brightest young spinners, but it remains to be seen how much he will feature for the Tigers.
But international left-arm seamer Fred Klaassen will be available full-time.
Klaassen has played two ODI games for Netherlands and has just signed a two-year contract with English County club Kent.
Fellow left-arm paceman Blade Baxter has also joined from St Kilda, where he returned 100 wickets from 63 First XI games since 2012-13.
Victorian rookie Mitch Perry will effectively be a recruit after being sidelined for the entirety of last season because of stress fractures in his back.
Monash may also see more of veteran Dan Christian depending on state commitments.
Fringe pace duo Sean Griffin (Melbourne) and Matt Shimell (Elsternwick) are the only departures of note.
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