Sheffield Shield Wrap – Round 6: Three centurions in Tassie, two tight thrillers… and a drought-breaking Patterson ton
Round 6 of the Sheffield Shield, the final round before the Big Bash League begins, featured an unlikely Queensland win, a dominant victory from New South Wales and a gutsy performance from Tasmania.
Let’s get into the highlights of each game.
Victoria vs Queensland Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
Finally, everything seemed to click for Queensland this round.
Six wickets and 97 runs for Mark Steketee, returning as the leader of Queensland’s attack, proved Victoria’s undoing on a very sporting pitch.
Meanwhile, the Vics, ladder leaders, were left to rue what might have been with two collapses handing Queensland the win in a tight thriller.
Who pushed Test claims? Forget about Lance Morris, Scott Boland, Michael Neser or Jhye Richardson, Fergus O’Neill is in form and ready to wreak havoc on the Indians.
Sure, he may not be as fast as most of the guys on the above list, and his hairstyle is questionable, but nevertheless, he has to be well and truly in contention to play a Test very soon with his outstanding record, enhanced by nine more wickets in this round.
Who did not push Test claims? Playing for the PM’s XI just a week ago, Jack Clayton’s form in the Shield arena has dipped a little.
Whilst still a standout, the likes of Henry Hunt and Kurtis Patterson have probably passed him in the pecking order at this stage. He’ll want to start making big runs once the Shield returns in the New Year.
New South Wales vs Western Australia Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
There must be something about hosting cricket at the SCG as rain interfered with this match.
NSW dominated this match, and their young side is primed for success this season. Western Australia drops to third place in the standings and retreats to Perth to lick their wounds and question their enviable depth.
Who Pushed Test Claims? Kurtis Patterson and Sam Konstas both made big runs for NSW as they continue to push their claims for any positions that might open up in the Australian team.
Whilst I’d like to see Konstas play a full Shield season, if Australia is desperate, his form certainly warrants selection.
With a tour of Sri Lanka looming, Patterson’s 167* in spinning conditions against Corey Rocchiccioli and Hamish McKenzie may prove instrumental in booking him a spot on the plane to Sri Lanka.
Who Did Not Push Test Claims? Josh Inglis, backup gloveman in the Test squad, will want to ensure that he’s got plenty of runs in the bank given Jimmy Peirson’s match-winning effort for Queensland.
Scores of 41 and 25 are not a bad start, but he will want to make a few more to maintain that spot.
Tasmania vs South Australia Bellerive Oval, Hobart
South Australia won a THRILLER in Hobart.
Three players got to triple figures in the game, Jason Sangha (151) and Henry Hunt (136) for South Australia, and Tim Ward (142) for Tasmania.
But it came down to the final over; chasing 429 to win, Tasmania managed 426 with no.11 Riley Meredith proving he’s not as rapid between the wickets as he is when he bowls.
Tasmania slumps to the bottom of the table, but there are plenty of great performances to take out of this result for the Tigers.
Who Pushed Test Claims? Hunt continued his sublime Shield form with 136. His form warrants a look in the Australian side should an opportunity arise.
Who Did Not Push Test Claims? Matt Kuhnemann will have one eye on Sri Lanka as a left-arm orthodox spinner.
However, he hasn’t made the greatest impression with his new state, but perhaps his four wickets in the second innings will help push his case.
Best XI across the sixth round
How is this 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 No.3, 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.
Sam Konstas
Henry Hunt
Jason Sangha
Kurtis Patterson
Tim Ward
Jimmy Peirson
Mitchell Owen
Nathan McAndrew
Mark Steketee
Brody Couch
Mitch Swepson
Stay tuned for Round 7 in February, and Merry Christmas to all my readers!
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