The Sheffield Shield picks up again on Thursday, slipping back into the calendar after the Big Bash League break. Victoria have cleared a path towards hosting the final in late-March, but the chasing pack still fancy their chances of joining them. “Red-ball cricket is a different beast,” Marnus Labuschagne reminded reporters on Tuesday. “You can’t ride white-ball momentum for long; you have to start again.”
First, a snapshot of each fixture before we dig into the detail:
Victoria v Queensland
New South Wales v South Australia
Western Australia v Tasmania
Victoria v Queensland
Victoria may be 20.16 points clear at the top, yet their XI is far from settled. Marcus Harris is recovering from back surgery and young opener Ollie Peake is away with Australia Under-19s, so Dylan Brasher could make a first-class debut. Will Sutherland is being “managed”, as the medical staff put it, which means Peter Handscomb will captain. Scott Boland skips this round but is pencilled in for at least two of the remaining matches – plus the final, should Victoria get there.
Handscomb kept it simple: “The table looks nice, but that’s all it is – a table.”
Queensland, second on the ladder, travel south with a heftier top order. Labuschagne, Usman Khawaja and seamer-all-rounder Michael Neser are free of international duty. They do, however, lose Matt Renshaw and paceman Xavier Bartlett to the T20 World Cup, while batter Jack Clayton is touch-and-go after jarring a knee in the One-Day Cup. Coach Wade Seccombe was philosophical: “We’ve had worse weeks. At least ‘Marn’ and Uzzy are around to balance things.”
Victoria squad
Peter Handscomb (capt), Dylan Brasher, Xavier Crone, Harry Dixon, Sam Elliott, Sam Harper, Campbell Kellaway, Blake Macdonald, David Moody, Todd Murphy, Fergus O’Neill, Mitch Perry, Tom Rogers
Queensland squad
Marnus Labuschagne (capt), Hugo Burdon, Jack Clayton, Lachlan Hearne, Hayden Kerr, Usman Khawaja, Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Jem Ryan, Tom Straker, Mitchell Swepson, Hugh Weibgen, Tom Whitney
New South Wales v South Australia
Jack Edwards has dashed back from Pakistan and will lead NSW. The coaches admit he’s “a bit jet-lagged” but happy to play. Will Salzmann, sidelined for the bulk of the BBL by a hamstring niggle, is fit to open. Rookie quick Peter Francis – who cut his teeth in Irish domestic cricket – has earned a squad berth but will probably carry the drinks.
Steven Smith has a window in his diary yet has chosen rest over a late Shield cameo, while Mitchell Starc is parked until the IPL. Veteran off-spinner Nathan Lyon, out with that Adelaide hamstring, has already ruled himself out for the winter. Sean Abbott is on T20 World Cup duty. Assistant coach Beau Casson summed it up: “Plenty of skill still in the room, just not the star names.”
Reigning champions South Australia add Alex Carey and Brendan Doggett. Spencer Johnson’s back remains troublesome, and quicks Wes Agar and Henry Thornton are also unavailable. Ben Manenti, ever the globetrotter, is at the T20 World Cup with Italy. Skipper Nathan McSweeney played down the absentees: “Shield cricket is never about one or two blokes. We proved that last season.”
New South Wales squad
Jack Edwards (capt), Joel Davies, Peter Francis, Ryan Hadley, Liam Hatcher, Sam Konstas, Kurtis Patterson, Josh Philippe, Will Salzmann, Tanveer Sangha, Lachlan Shaw, Charlie Stobo
South Australia squad
Jordan Buckingham, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Mackenzie Harvey, Henry Hunt, Hanno Jacobs, Jake Lehmann, Nathan McAndrew, Nathan McSweeney (capt), Lloyd Pope, Jason Sangha, Liam Scott
Western Australia v Tasmania
The headline in Perth is the anticipated return of Jhye Richardson for his first Shield outing in 15 months. He spoke candidly last week: “The body’s good, finally. I just want overs in the legs.” WA will still miss left-armer Joel Paris, whose groin injury ruined his BBL.
Tasmania haven’t released a firm XI yet, though coach Jeff Vaughan hinted that veteran Peter Siddle will be rested to manage workload. Tim Ward, Beau Webster and skipper Jordan Silk anchor a batting line-up that, on good WACA pitches, tends to need early runs.
Western Australia squad
Sam Whiteman (capt), Cameron Bancroft, Hilton Cartwright, Aaron Hardie, Cooper Connolly, Teague Wyllie, Josh Inglis, Ashton Turner, Jhye Richardson, Lance Morris, Matt Kelly, Corey Rocchiccioli, Charlie Stobo
Stobo will join WA on loan if not required by NSW.
Tasmania squad
Jordan Silk (capt), Tim Ward, Caleb Jewell, Charlie Wakim, Beau Webster, Jake Doran, Ben McDermott, Jarrod Freeman, Peter Siddle, Riley Meredith, Gabe Bell, Lawrence Neil-Smith, Paddy Dooley
Points to watch
• Can Victoria secure a home final even with half a first-choice XI missing?
• Will Queensland’s three returning internationals close the gap?
• How sharp is Jhye Richardson after countless rehab sessions?
• And, quietly, have NSW unearthed another fast bowler in Peter Francis?
Plenty of unknowns, then, but that is half the attraction of the Shield’s post-BBL run-in. As Khawaja said with a grin, “Sunny February days, decent crowds and an old-school red ball – this is why we still love state cricket.”
