Forgotten batsman returns as Australia A selectors wield axe for Lions clash

Kurtis Patterson was relegated to grade cricket at the start of this season, now he is among Australia’s form batters and demanding selectors’ attention again.

The two-time Test batter began the summer playing grade cricket for St George after form concerns cost him the NSW captaincy and pushed him to the fringes of the Sheffield Shield set-up over the previous 18 months.

Patterson has since staged a meteoric resurgence, with an unbeaten 167 the highlight of his four first-class games this summer.

The 31-year-old is only 10 runs behind this Shield season’s leading scorer Henry Hunt, despite having played two fewer matches.

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On Wednesday, Patterson earned selection in the Australia A squad to play the England Lions in a four-day tour match at Cricket Central in Sydney from January 30.

Patterson is one of eight players selected in the 12-man squad who did not feature in the Australia A squad that faced India A at the beginning of the summer.

Only Jordan Buckingham, Corey Rocchiccioli, Josh Philippe and Fergus O’Neill remain, with a number of those selected for India A named for the Test tour of Sri Lanka.

NSW allrounder Jack Edwards has been named captain after skippering the Prime Minister’s XI against India earlier in the summer.

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Up-and-coming spinner Jayden Goodwin, son of former Zimbabwean Test player Murray, has been called up after playing for the Prime Minister’s XI this summer.

“Following two Australia A fixtures against India A earlier this season which had short-term relevance to the Border Gavaskar Trophy, this match is a valuable opportunity to expose exciting young talent against quality international opposition with a longer lens,” said selector Tony Dodemaide.

The England Lions squad will be coached by cricket great Andrew Flintoff, whose 16-year-old son Rocky is in the squad.

AUSTRALIA A

Jack Edwards (c), Xavier Bartlett, Brendan Doggett, Jordan Buckingham, Jayden Goodwin, Aaron Hardie, Fergus O’Neill, Kurtis Patterson, Josh Philippe, Corey Rocchiccioli, Will Sutherland, Tim Ward

ENGLAND LIONS

Sonny Baker, Shoaib Bashir, Pat Brown, James Coles, Sam Cook, Alex Davies, Rocky Flintoff, Tom Lawes, Freddie McCann, Ben McKinney, James Rew, Hamza Shaikh, Mitch Stanley, Josh Tongue, John Turner.

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