Sheffield Shield offers clues for Test opening role and more

The 123rd Sheffield Shield season kicks off on Tuesday

When the kindly Lord Sheffield donated the elegant trophy that established the formal beginning of Australian men’s first class cricket in 1894, he did so in the hope that it would promote “good, healthy and wholesome competition between the colonies”.

And, here are those colonies - expanded from three to six - and those colonials about to begin on their 123rd season of Sheffield(‘s) Shield cricket.

Who is playing and who is not is instructive in a summer that will see India play five Tests, but who is playing where and who is not is what’s got most of our not-so-good, not-so-healthy and not-so-wholesome attention.

Does anyone really need an update on the situation at the top of the Australian Test batting lineup? For those emerging from a coma or hibernation let’s have a quick update from previous episodes.

Steve Smith, having surprised everyone by volunteering to be first over the top in the absence of David Warner, is the incumbent alongside Instagram identity Usman Khawaja (recently spotted sporting the suavest of velvet jackets at the AFL grand final and husband to new Channel 7 Cricket signing, Rachel).

There has been no official word from Smith that he doesn’t want to do the job, and it would be a concern if he’d changed his mind so quickly, but not one that cannot be dealt with if the suggestion he wants out is correct.

Andrew McDonald did confirm recently that there were “discussions” on who will open come the first Test in Perth beginning November 22, so something is potentially afoot.

If not Smith, then who?

Greg Chappell told Cricket Et Al the podcast that he thought Mitch Marsh was your man.

Marsh is not bowling at the moment and rarely does so for any consistent period of time. He will play the first round but will not bowl. Word from the West is that he will not open in the game against Queensland, but don’t look away as WA’s Cameron Bancroft will be up there at the top of the order and should be part of the discussion - in the short and long term - for the Test role. Bancroft missed the Shield final earlier this year after falling off his bike, but put in a good winter at Gloucester where he scored three hundreds, three half centuries and averaged around 50. Over in the West they love him and his attitude, they report he has evolved into a more complete package, but he played the last of his interrupted 10 Test career back in 2019. Getting back on the bike has proved a difficult task for the former opener.

You can craft the odd conspiracy theory around his absence, but part of the issue here could be that Usman is not exactly electric at the top of the order, and there’s a need for his partner to be a little more charged than Cameron. There was also that thing the selectors had about picking the best six and then working out who goes where.

As for Marsh as opener, well, it would be a foolish man who disagreed with Greg Chappell on matters of cricket, but Mitch is a man whose talent and charisma seems to conceal some self doubt. Would opening over burden him? Possibly. The Australians have backed him and coaxed the best from him, but you might want to be a little careful about the added stress.

West Australian all rounder Aaron Hardie, who has sparked some interest as a possible Test player given the injury to Cameron Green, will miss the first round with a quad injury. Lance Morris is absent because he is being “managed” by the high priests who clearly have an eye on him as an option for the Border Gavaskar Trophy.

Queensland travel west for the match at the WACA (it’s almost worth joining them in a trip across the country just to watch a red ball game again at that place so redolent in mystery and myth). Matthew Renshaw is moving himself back to opener and was recalled to the Australian squad late last season without making the actual team. He had a middling winter with Glamorgan, but there is apparently resolve from coach Johan Botha who indicated they were aiming to groom him for a place at the top.  

“We've got to get him in the best form and shape as possible and when that opportunity comes up and does fall to him that he's ready to take it and not let it go again," Botha told Cricinfo back in May.

"If he gets his foot in the door it's an opportunity for the next four, five, six years.

Queensland spinner Matthew Kuhnemann moved to Tasmania in the off season. The left arm orthodox who opened the bowling on debut for Australia in Delhi found himself behind vice captain Mitchell Swepson in his home state,so moved to the island where he appears to have been guaranteed a game.

Tasmania play Victoria in a game where Marcus Harris will surely be keen to get his name back in the discussion. He had a solid season for Leicester in the winter and has 11,000 first class runs in his kitbag. If Harris’s comments this week are any guide he seems to believe the only way he can get back is if he “kicks the door down”.

Harris will open with Ash Chandrasinghe whose stonewalling 280 ball 46 in a losing Sheffield Shield final incurred jeers from the West Australian fans, but admiration from his home state.

Scott Boland, desperate to return to the Test side after trailing around in the squad for too long, is being “managed” after injuring himself early the English summer. So is Glenn Maxwell who is presumably putting the finishing touches on his book (which I am looking forward to reading).

Which leaves the NSW clash with South Australia. This match will be played out by Silverwater Jail at Cricket Central as they’ve only just got the goal posts out at the SCG and the old square needs a lot of coaxing to wake and repair it from its winter slumber.

Nathan Lyon will play, but Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Mitch Starc and Steve Smith are all being “managed”.  Starc is watching his wife captain Australia in the T20 World Cup. Somebody should write a sports Rom Com about those two.

Cummins may also be putting the finishing touches to his new book.

Nic Maddinson has returned to NSW following a stint at Victoria. He is 32 and admits he thinks about adding to his three Test caps “every day”. He could well be opening with teenager Sam Konstas who is an exciting young talent.

Travis Head and Alex Carey will front up for the SACAs but in news that will please Ian Chappell indications are Head will not be opening.

Here is hoping for, in the words of the good Lord Sheffield, a “good, healthy and wholesome competition”.

NSW v SA (CRICKET CENTRAL)

NSW squad: Moises Henriques (c), Ollie Davies, Jack Edwards, Matthew Gilkes, Ryan Hadley, Liam Hatcher, Sam Konstas, Nathan Lyon, Nic Maddinson, Jack Nisbet, Josh Philippe, Tanveer Sangha

SA squad: Nathan McSweeney (c), Jordan Buckingham, Alex Carey (wk), Brendan Doggett, Daniel Drew, Travis Head, Henry Hunt, Ben Manenti, Nathan McAndrew, Conor McInerney, Lloyd Pope, Liam Scott

WA v QLD (WACA)

Queensland squad: Marnus Labuschagne (c), Jack Clayton, Lachlan Hearne, Usman Khawaja, Ben McDermott, Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Matthew Renshaw, Mark Steketee, Tom Straker, Mitchell Swepson, Jack Wildermuth  

WA Squad: Sam Whiteman (c), Cameron Bancroft, Hilton Cartwright, Brody Couch, Cooper Connolly, Cameron Gannon, Jayden Goodwin, Josh Inglis, Matt Kelly, Mitch Marsh, Corey Rocchiccioli, Charlie Stobo.

TAS v VIC (JUNCTION OVAL)

Victoria squad: Peter Handscomb (c), Ash Chandrasinghe, Xavier Crone, Sam Elliott, Sam Harper, Marcus Harris, Campbell Kellaway, Cam McClure, Jon Merlo, Todd Murphy, Fergus O’Neill, Mitch Perry, Tom Rogers  

Tasmania squad: Jordan Silk (c), Gabe Bell, Jake Doran, Kieran Elliott, Brad Hope, Caleb Jewell, Matt Kuhnemann, Lawrence Neil-Smith, Mitch Owen, Charlie Wakim, Tim Ward, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster