There are less than five weeks until the beginning of the Sheffield Shield season, and what better time to start previewing the new cricket season?
I want to consider five burning questions surrounding the new Shield season and explore how those questions will shape the various teams.
1. Should Will Pucovski play?
The curious case of Will Pucovski continues to elicit amazement and sympathy from all corners.
Sidelined last season after ducking into a Riley Meredith bouncer that resulted in the 13th concussion of his career, the question remains if he will play.
Will Pucovski celebrating a century for Victoria. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
A panel of medical experts has recommended medical retirement – and there’s precedence in the football codes with the likes of Nathan Murphy and Boyd Cordner retiring for fewer knocks.
Still, retirement should be Will’s decision to make.
Let’s hope that the best decision is made for his long-term health and career, regardless of what that may be.
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2. Which side will stand out… and which will flop?
Before a ball of any kind has been hurled or struck in anger, this is a difficult question to answer.
Western Australia sits as favourites for the Shield once again.
New South Wales righted the ship last season and pushed for an improbable Shield final.
Victoria’s crop of youngsters repaid the faith shown in them, Queensland struggled to find form and consistency, Tasmania showed that consistency is king, and South Australia never quite reached its potential.
Western Australia is the odds-on favourite to win another Shield title.
Look for a Western Australia vs New South Wales final at the WACA at the end of the season.
3. Will Marnus have success as a full-time cricket captain?
Who better to entrust with the Queensland captaincy than a full-time, professional cricket nuffy?
The 2024/2025 season marks Marnus Labuschagne’s first full-time captaincy of a professional cricket side.
He was given one opportunity against South Australia last season, and the maturity with which Marnus played and captained spoke volumes about the kind of leader that he would be.
Marnus will bring out the best in a very young Queensland side and lead them to a higher finish than last season.
Could he be a smoky to replace Pat Cummins down the track?
Marnus Labuschagne, pictured here playing for the Bulls. (AAP Image/Glenn Hunt)
4. How much will the Test stars play?
Cricket Australia has an important question to answer this summer. How important is winning back the Border-Gavaskar Trophy?
If they are serious about winning, Cricket Australia must prioritise the Test stars playing the Sheffield Shield competition over the meaningless T20 and ODI series that occur before and during.
Those series are perfect to blood young players and provide international exposure. If Cricket Australia is serious about Test cricket being the “pinnacle” of cricket, the Test stars must play.
Look for them to play in two out of the first four matches before the start of the series with some of them being ‘managed’ carefully.
5. Does the Sheffield Shield competition matter anymore?
Recently, the selectors and Cummins have been vocal about the fact that they have picked the 11 guys that they are most comfortable with and will stick with those players, seemingly ignoring Shield form.
Western Australia pose after winning the Sheffield Shield final. (Photo by Will Russell/Getty Images)
The likes of Michael Neser consistently topping wicket-taking charts and Cam Bancroft (there’s history there) have been overlooked despite consistently outperforming all others at Shield level across multiple seasons.
Now the Australian team is in a position where many of their players are ageing – only three players are under 30 years of age – but there is little experience to replace those players.
Whilst it’s fine to have a preferred 11 and consistently play them, when spots are available, new, in-form players should be picked and played to give them an opportunity on the international stage to prepare them for the future.
If that does not happen, then why play the Sheffield Shield competition?
The next four and a half weeks will be revealing as the squads begin training and players return from County Cricket and transition back into their home setups.
Here’s hoping for a great season, some excellent cricket, and an international reward for those players who do well.
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