Time for my state cricket round up.
This may be the last year I can do one with any authority,
We’ll start wit the reigning champs.
NSWales, the speedblitz blues
Players that won’t be available for large parts of the season.
Bollinger, Bracken, Clark, Clarke, Haddin, Jacques, Katich, and Lee.
That is a fair list, and looking at the “a” team, there are a bunch more in the wings.
What have they got left, youth, youth, and yup, youth.
Last year I though there youth was ordinary and wouldn’t make much of a splash, they did, bastards.
The Reigning Shield Champions seem to have an uphill battle to do the same.
This year they will need that youth to kick on either further as Haddin, Katich and Bollinger will be available far less.
Leadership
Katich is a huge loss, not just for batting, but he was the steel, but the captaincy, when you have a young team you need a captain who can bring them together, but he will be there and thereabouts for Australia, and may miss large portions of the season.
Whoever has the captaincy for the games Katich is not available will be the key, I would say they would go with Thornely, Daniel Smith, Mail or Ed Cowan.
Bowling
With their top 4 bowlers all busy, Cameron and Henriques will have to take a lot of wickets.
Henriques is the highest rated young player since Michael Clarke, but so far he hasn’t done much other than look impressive.
Beau Casson will be trying to prove he is the number one spinner in Australia, which he isn’t, but with this bowling attack, he should get a lot of overs.
Batting
Hard to see where the runs are coming from. Mail, Cowan and Thornley are experienced, but none of these players are top flight state batsmen.
The class would appear to come from Hughes and Khawaja. Neither have the experience, but they do look like the way forward.
Khawaja will also provide Australian writers the opportunity to call him wristy which is nice.
Henriques, Casson and Steve Smith are all supposed to be all rounders, and they will have to make a few runs between them.
Long in the tooth
The Mail Man may be paying his last season. Should get a game for the first half of the year, but when the young bucks start circling, he is the one Matthew Nicholson and the other selectors may get rid of. Although Nicholson probably thinks 30 is young.
Ready to shed the nappies
Steven Smith is the highest rated youngster since Moises Henriques, sorry couldn’t help myself. Played in a few 2020 games last year and tripped over wickets with his leg spin. He may be the Cameron White, Cameron White never proved to be, a genuine top six batsman who can bowl.
Nostradamus
Shield
3rd to 4th.
One dayers
2nd to 3rd.
2020
Last, they never take this shit seriously.
The rub
They is young, and held in high regard, but can they play?
The Ryan Gosling side
cricketwithballs
