Round 4 of the Sheffield Shield saw plenty of action as Victoria beat Western Australia, New South Wales comprehensively beat South Australia, and Queensland played out yet another drawn match.
Let’s dive into the wrap.
South Australia vs New South Wales Karen Rolton Oval, Adelaide
NSW dominated this game from ball one with Jackson Bird showing that age is merely a number as he collected 11 victims.
South Australia, missing Test-bound Travis Head, Alex Carey and Nathan McSweeney, succumbed meekly to lose by an innings and one run whilst losing Nathan McAndrew in the process.
Jake Lehmann was the only SA batter to offer much resistance across both innings.
Who pushed Test claims? It’s great to see Kurtis Patterson back in the runs again after a few lean seasons.
Sure, there are now plenty of batters ahead of him in the pecking order, but who knows what a huge summer and a few injuries could do for him?
Who did not push Test claims? Henry Hunt failed twice with the bat, and whilst neither he nor the selectors should be overly worried about his twin failures, a few more lean scores may make them think twice about him should an opening arise.
Victoria vs Western Australia CitiPower Centre, St. Kilda
A top-of-the-table clash between the two competition heavyweights was really over before it began.
A WA side shorn of its best players and with Cameron Bancroft out of form showed some fight in the second innings.
Ultimately, a big eight-wicket win to Victoria cements them at the top of the table.
Who pushed Test claims? Marcus Harris may feel a little hard done by with the Australian Test selection.
Marcus Harris. (Photo by Darrian Traynor/Getty Images)
He’s been the in-form opener in the first few rounds of the Shield, had a couple of good Australia A matches (he was the best of the four top-order players), and now has made two good half-centuries against a good Western Australian attack.
Sure, Harris’s ship may have sailed – 14 Tests for an average of under 26 is not a great record – but he’s putting himself in the best possible position to get back in should the time arise.
Who did not push Test claims? 12, 11, 3, 0, 0, 16, 8, 2. That’s the last eight innings for Cameron Bancroft in Shield cricket, and unless you love binary code, it makes for grim reading.
What happened? Nobody really knows, but he won’t be playing for Australia this summer unless something dramatic happens.
Queensland vs Tasmania Alan Border Field, Brisbane
Queensland channelled the spirit of Alan Border in this match as they held on for a draw against a good Tasmanian side.
Jake Weatherald returned to form with a blistering 186, and Matt Renshaw also made runs for Queensland.
Tasmania were unlucky that the entire second day was washed out otherwise, this could have been a statement win for them.
Who pushed Test claims? Matt Renshaw made it into the 20s in two of his past four innings before the 121 he scored in this match.
Queensland opener Matthew Renshaw. (Photo by Steve Bell/Getty Images)
He, like Bancroft, was probably dealt with a little harshly when he was dropped in the Test arena, so how good would it be to see him come back into the side? A few more scores like this will have everyone talking.
Who did not push Test claims? With a Test tour of Sri Lanka coming up, Matt Kuhnemann had the opportunity to bowl Tasmania to victory.
Coming up with 0 wickets from 35 overs wasn’t exactly what he had envisioned as great preparation.
Let’s hope he can take a bag of wickets soon.
Best XI across the fourth round
How this is selected. This looks at the best players in each position and fits them in where appropriate. Players can be moved down a rung in the batting order from where they normally bat, but they cannot move up.
For example, Matthew Renshaw could open or bat at three, but since he did not make runs in the middle order, he would not be eligible to bat in the middle order.
The objective of this is to track the consistency across the Shield season. At least one player from each side should be selected unless one team utterly dominated that round.
Jake Weatherald
Matt Renshaw
Nic Maddinson
Jake Lehmann
Hilton Cartwright
Joel Curtis
Matthew Gilkes
Fergus O’Neill
Corey Rocchiccioli
Riley Meredith
Jackson Bird
Stay tuned for Round 5!
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