Shield Thread.

Richie

Well-Known Member
Staff member
BULLS
Joe Burns, Bryce Street, Marnus Labuschagne, Usman Khawaja (c), Matthew Renshaw, Jimmy Peirson (wk), Jack Wildermuth, Michael Neser, Mark Steketee, Xavier Bartlett, Mitch Swepson

TIGERS
Jordan Silk, Alex Doolan, Charlie Wakim, Ben McDermott, Jake Doran, Tim Paine (c) (wk), Beau Webster, Nathan Ellis, Peter Siddle, Jackson Bird, Riley Meredith

Tim Paine won toss and has the Tigers batting first on what looks a couple of decks lacking grass and real pace..


 
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SAJake Weatherald, Henry Hunt, Brad Davis, Travis Head (c), Tom Cooper, Harry Nielsen (wk), Liam Scott, Nick Winter, Chadd Sayers, Wes Agar, Lloyd Pope
WACameron Bancroft, Sam Whiteman, Shaun Marsh (c), Cameron Green, Ashton Turner, Ashton Agar, Josh Inglis (wk), Joel Paris, Matthew Kelly, Cameron Gannon, Lance Morris
Shaun Marsh won toss and batted. Karen Rolton Oval track also looks rather lifeless.
 
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Neser now with 3 for 16 after a bit of a fight back from Tasmania.

SA look very pedestrian in the bowling. Whiteman going to town on Pope. Sayers looked good initially but was let down a bit at the other end by some wayward bowling the only other option for them is Liam Scott
 
100 run opening partnership for WA. Got to feel for Sayers 33 now in the twilight of his career and carrying all the SA bowling attack, problem is SA don't have much to replace Winter and Agar. But Pope did make the breakthrough showing up Bancroft's Achilles..spin bowling. Lots of bonus points on offer for WA.

Pope got his 2nd wicket, at last the young fellow bowling well in tandem with Sayers. Expensive but all that matters is the wickets.
 
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These decks are playing into the hands of the batsmen. They are slowish with little grass. Very little in em for the quicks.. specially swingmen Winter and Sayers. Having said that Whiteman was the only batsman to take advantage.. tho Bancroft and McDermott looked good too. Bancroft looks far more correct and composed specially in defense. Has obviously been working on his technique during the Covid break.
Yes Neser halted a good comeback from the Tigers. He has been the pick of all bowlers from both games. Expecting both decks to take good turn on days three and four.
 
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I'm expecting WA bowlers to do OK. That's the problem with swing bowlers, when it's not happening they need something else because 135 kms doing nothing is bread and butter stuff for batsmen. That's the beauty of bowlers like Neser, Pattinson, Cummins they don't rely on conditions, they make something happen. Pattinson is in the top 5 bowlers currently in the UAE, he gets the ball to talk.

Been very impressed with McDermott, he's coming on in leaps and bounds. No longer just an ODI player

Also waiting to see if Doran has altered anything, if he hasn't he won't be playing cricket much longer, a 25 average after 40 games is appalling and he's not much better in the shorter forms. He has made a good start so hope he goes on with it. I don't know what to make of Bartlett that 6 /136 back in Feb against us was very good, but haven't seen much today.

Looks like a breeze is starting up, maybe the swing may come
 
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Correct on swingmen that dont have swing conditions and how those blokes with a touch more pace can make things happen on flat decks like Bartlett did in that session. His three now has the Tigers in some trouble. How about that reflex snaffle by Ussie to remove Ellis. There was a time when Uss was considered an ordinary fieldsman. Not anymore.
Doran made that start. Chewed up 88 balls for a measly 19 runs. Reckon the selectors feel he is second best Tassie gloveman behind Paine. Can be the only reason he is still playing state cricket. Agree McDermott actually looks a red ball batsman now.. a mature knock. Kicked himself after holing out in the covers after doing all the hard yards. A ton was on offer and he blew it.
 
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I think Pope has now pushed himself forward as the 2nd Australia spinner when we go anywhere in the sub-continent. There are some chumps out there who look at Economy rates, it's all about the wickets 5/94 at an expensive economy rate doesn't matter, if any of the other bowers could get wickets, WA would be out for under 200. And all 5 wickets were the top order batsmen, Sayers Winter and Agar may pick up some easy tail wickets and make themselves look good at the start of today with a newish ball, but Pope did the work

Michael Neser with 5/32, and can bat, surely he is pushing himself forward for test selection.

If you're right about Doran then they should be dropping Paine his dismissal was pathetic, flashing at a wide ball caught by Burns at slip. But you expect that from a 36 year old player. Doran was not much better bowled by defending a delivery chopping it onto leg stump is bad at grade level not to mention FC level. If the national selectors had any fortitude they would be promoting Carey now and giving the Australian captaincy to Labuchagne or Head. Carey is starting to get older now, less years available for him in the top job.

Khawaja a good fieldsman? the ball went straight to him and he spilt it sure this time he got lucky by reflex but he still dropped the straight forward catch.

Looking forward to today, Tasmania's bowlers against Qld batsmen for me is the highlight of this round. Bryce Street is a test opener in the making, the way he kept Bird and Siddle out late in the day was test material. Sids made him play every delivery, Sids is still a very testing bowler, but what's with the blonde hair.. 8 FC games with 2 centuries, better than many going around in shield level. And one of those 100's was against WA in Perth, not many have that achievement especially an opener. But I wouldn't open him with Renshaw, that would be a snooze-fest.
 
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What a delivery from Siddle no batsman could play that one, and the important Burns is gone. I think the best days of Burns are behind him now.
 
Joe has always struggled against the moving ball. I have Street as a long term Test opener. This is an important season for Henry Hunt. He looked all class in first half of the season against the new ball. Then he waned somewhat.. perhaps the pressure of maintaining performance got to him. So much of this game is played between the ears. Some can handle it some can not.

I like the maturity of Ashton Agar with the bat. So often pigeonholed as a see and hit batsmen he now has added patience to his game. Showed it last season with @52 in his 5 games and is already looking the goods here. He still needs to shore up his technique if he wants to bat in top six.

Street may be another Boycott. Like Fiery he'll bat all day and bore everyone to death.
 
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Street looks a lot like Boycott, it will probably take a stick of TNT to remove him. And how hard is the batting conditions for QLD, there is no way I would like to be facing Siddle and Bird, 2 of the most accomplished bowlers in state cricket history. But then to follow up with Ellis and Meredith two up and coming bowlers. Most rate Labuchagne the number 1 test batsman in the world in the last 12 to 18 months, and he's struggling to get runs.

But it does show not a lot of good batsmen generally in the world, it is very easy pickings for bowlers currently, T20 has destroyed the quality of batsmen worldwide, and has destroyed test cricket, but Shield cricket is alive and well IMO.

Labuchagne has decided to take on Bird now with those quick 4's... 30 overs 45 runs, that's hard work

Ashton Agar is good player no doubt, but I wouldn't read too much into to it. I thought it would be quick wickets for SA, but Winter bowled rubbish this morning gave up 12 very easy runs in one over I saw. 15 overs today nearly 70 runs WA just smashing them now. 12 runs from Agar off Pope in that over. I have been impressed with Wes Agar this morning, I'd like to see him bowl in tandem with Sayers, things may happen. One thing I have picked up on Pope is not effective with a newish ball.

Siddle and Bird back on together, this is just brutal attacking from Tasmania, Hats off to Street, if he falls, I reckon Khawaja and Renshaw may collapse quickly under this attack, Street has to wear them down.

How good were those 6 overs from Siddle and Bird, only 6 deliveries left to the keeper, the rest had to be played by the batsmen, incredible
 
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Agar and Inglis ton up. Redback bowlers have taken a pummeling from these two..
 
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This is just rubbish now Nick Winter and Travis Head bowling in tandem 4 overs 30 runs, at least Heads off and Liam Scott is on

Century up for Inglis off Scott

Century up for Agar smashing Winter to the boundary, Winter's just not quick enough for short pitched delivery

This is very poor bowling from SA's No 2 bowler, Nick Winter, but who does SA have to replace him, no-one that I can see.
 
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SACA will be spitting chips at CA for taking away conditions that suit their and Australia's three most accomplished swing bowlers, Sayers, Worrall and Winter in order to produce decks conducive to spin.. Also no swinging Dukes ball this year so by the end of the season our best swingmen will be tearing out their hair in search of wickets.
 
Inglis just throwing bat at everything short. Pitch it up.

Ashton had a chuckle when Wes surprised him with a yorker. No doubt expecting a short one.
 
So what you're suggesting is instead of developing bowlers to have more variations in their bowling, so when conditions don't suit swing they have more artillery, you just want swing bowlers. That will only work for England 5 tests every 4 years, what about other places like the sub-continent. So you want Jimmy Andersons and Stuart Broads, bowlers that apart from England fail everywhere else. I don't think what your suggesting is the problem, otherwise Neser, Bartlett, Siddle and Bird wouldn't be doing so well, they're playing in the same conditions. The once proud cricket state of SA is scraping the bottom of the barrel. SA bowlers just aren't that good.

WA going for 500 declaration or as soon as a wicket falls the way they're going it will probably be in 3 overs
 
100 up for Qld in nearly 50 overs, this is excellent FC cricket from Labuchagne and Street. I have never noticed before how Siddle and Bird bowl a line that make batsmen play every delivery. Amazing accuracy

Poor Lloyd Pope, he does not deserve this, Inglis just going to town. 6, 4 ,6, finally the declaration.
 
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Inglis played some ugly slogs and some sweet shots. Those two inside out lofts over cover off Pope were all class. Yes the ginga ninja certainly did not deserve that hit to his figures.
So what you're suggesting is instead of developing bowlers to have more variations in their bowling, so when conditions don't suit swing they have more artillery .
No they will have to develop variations otherwise they are in for some serious hurt this summer. Winter tried something but he is too slow to ping it in short.

Siddle and Bird like Hazlewood are specialist seamers relying on accuracy to create pressure to get their wickets. These three rarely give away more than three runs per over. Birdy is going at 2 p/o at present.. Sids even less. Incredible accuracy and equal is the effort by Street and Marnus to soak up this much pressure.
 
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I for one thought Labuchagne was very lucky to be selected for Australia, never been happier to be wrong, he's an exceptional player. I have a couple of cricket mad Qld mates and they always said Khawaja is more a hindrance than an asset for QLD and they'd be right with the constant walking across his stumps like today, he's finished IMO. I hope I don't jinx Renshaw but he's looking a better player this year.
 
Marnus continues his run plundering with yet another ton. I do question tho why he has copied Steve Smith's odd way of leaving a ball.
Renshaw looks composed. Tassie need wickets before stumps. May regret not picking a specialist spinner like the other teams have.
 
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