The Sheffield Shield has flicked into gear and, after three days of long spells and dusty whites, we already have enough talking points to keep the selection chatter ticking over.
Queensland v Tasmania, Allan Border Field
If you are picking on form, Marnus Labuschagne has done his bit. A vibrant 160 in his first red-ball knock of the season – dropped twice, sure, but still crisply made – felt like a statement after he was shuffled out of the one-day side.
“I felt good out there,” Labuschagne said. “It felt like I was reading the conditions well. I took the game on at certain times. I feel like I’ve really stripped it back and my focus is just scoring runs – it’s not really too technical…just what I need out there to score runs.”
Selectors have made no secret of wanting him back for the Ashes. With two more Shield rounds before the squad is named, that ambition suddenly looks less complicated.
Matt Renshaw’s 123 in the same match was another gentle nudge, though his impending white-ball duties mean he will miss at least one Shield fixture. Usman Khawaja, guaranteed the Perth Test despite whispers about form, eased to 69 and pocketed a couple of smart catches after an early spill. Jake Weatherald, granted a life by that same spill, finished with two brisk fifties – handy but not door-banging on an accommodating strip.
Michael Neser’s five-for hardly qualifies as news these days, yet the stamina he showed across four unbroken spells was notable. If Australia need a fourth seamer who can slot in without fanfare, the 34-year-old remains ready.
Western Australia v New South Wales, WACA
The surface in Perth had a bit of 1990s snarl about it: live grass, occasional sideways nip, and a stiff breeze that made judgement tricky. Young NSW opener Ryan Konstas, coming off an eye-catching Futures League run, managed just 6 and 12. Coach Greg Shipperd urged perspective, hinting that numbers didn’t tell the full tale.
“It was a tough track, no question,” Shipperd said after day two. “You had to earn every single run. The kid will learn plenty from this.”
Konstas may not be in the immediate Test frame, but the raw talent is clear. National selectors, though, are wary of thrusting another teenager into an Ashes furnace after one good summer at home.
WA’s experienced trio – Cameron Bancroft, Sam Whiteman and Ashton Turner – all grafted into the forties without kicking on. Lance Morris blew away the Blues’ middle order with genuine pace under lights, a timely reminder of what he can add on the hard Perth deck in December.
South Australia v Victoria, Adelaide Oval
Eyes were meant to be on Scott Boland and Marcus Harris, yet 19-year-old Ollie Peake stole the finish. His unbeaten 70 shepherded Victoria past 240 in a nervy final-innings chase, showing steel against Brendan Doggett’s short-ball ploy. Peake is nowhere near Test discussions, but give it a year and that might change.
Boland looked tidy rather than menacing – 1 for 65 from 26 overs – still, his record in England remains fresh in the collective memory. Harris, opening on a surface offering just enough seam, scrapped for 47 and 18. Neither outing will shift opinions much.
Nathan McSweeney and Campbell Kellaway each produced workmanlike fifties that sat somewhere between useful and forgettable. In other words, they are still on the list but not underlined.
What does it all mean?
• Labuschagne is odds-on to reclaim a Test berth, probably at No. 3, provided nothing unravels in the next fortnight.
• Khawaja’s 69 calms chatter; selectors value continuity, especially ahead of a home Ashes.
• Renshaw remains an outside chance – weight of runs is there, but timing is awkward with white-ball tours.
• Konstas has promise; failure on a spicy WACA pitch should not define him, yet he is very much a project, not a solution.
• Bowling depth still looks healthy: Morris for pace, Neser for control, Boland for relentlessness.
Plenty can change before the squad is nailed down, and it usually does. For now, the opening Shield round has offered as many questions as answers – which, if we are honest, is half the fun in the first place.
