Redbacks crack
South Australia… just, like, wow. What an ugly start to a season.
As if dropping maximum points on the road to the Bulls wasn’t bad enough in round one, following it with an utterly insipid display at home to Tasmania puts them on decidedly shaky ground in this season's Sheffield Shield.
A stat that buzzed past me at some stage this week was that the Redbacks have lost 17-straight. I haven’t done the full analysis but I hope that’s not 17 outright losses in succession.
That said, it could be. Redbacks coach Darren Berry has even come out and apologised to supporters, such is the disastrous nature of their start to this campaign.
Consider that Tasmanian all-rounder Luke Butterworth (10-89) collected three times as many wickets in the match as the entire South Australian attack managed in allowing the Tigers to run up 3-403 in a rain-affected day and a bit and you start to wonder.
Butterworth’s career makes an interesting case-study, his continued success and consistency at first class level pegging him as a player from the top-drawer.
In his 50 Shield matches, Butterworth has racked up in excess of 2000 runs at a touch over 28 and has 160 scalps at 24.55 – with an impressive economy of just 2.84 runs per over to boot.
Now imagine the career we could be talking about if he’d been born in Sydney’s Glebe rather than Hobart’s Glenorchy.
Regardless of international opportunities or otherwise, Butterworth already has two Shield titles to his credit and the Tigers will be there or there about again at the pointy end if their army of journeymen and unfashionable types continues to be so effective under Tim Coyle’s expert stewardship.
Former Redback Mark Cosgrove made a sparkling ton on his return to Adelaide, tormenting his ex-teammates in cavalier fashion and paving the way for relative unknown Alex Doolan to pile on 149 and put his State well in the ascendancy.
The Redbacks bowling was largely impotent. Dan Christian at first change with the red rock? No thanks.
Given that Cosgrove ran himself out, the South Australian attack accounted for just two poles and gave up 400+.
With the form one Ricky Thomas Ponting (85 not out including seven sixes) was showing, it could well have been 600 if rain hadn’t forced the Tigers’ hand into declaration during the chase for points.
One final scary fact from the match at Adelaide Oval: Phil Hughes knocked up 37 during their second innings total of 149. He has now top-scored in three of four innings since defecting from New South Wales during the winter.
During both digs he was pouched by Ponting at second slip from Butterworth’s medium pace. Cast your mind back 12 months and it was practically the same story when he was clad in baggy green.
He may be scoring more heavily than his team-mates, but Hughes is far from being a new man.
The ghosts of summers past are still haunting him and it could all get very, very ugly again for the young man from Macksville if he doesn’t make some changes soon.
Queensland Bulls v Victorian Bushrangers
Some people might say that early season form isn’t everything – and right now I’d say there’s every chance those very people are Queenslanders.
Plenty of good judges have the Bulls and Bushrangers pinned as finalists this season and if this week’s Gabba fixture is anything to go by, Victoria should be deserved favourites for the title.
Messers Siddle, Pattinson, McKay and Hastings were so damaging for the Vics that promising spinner John Holland contributed just five overs for the match.
In fact, with rain accounting for all-but 18 overs on the second day, the Bushrangers wrapped up their second outright of the season in under six sessions.
They also pounded the Warriors in Perth and are shaping up very nicely indeed.
Yes, they look strong, but for the reigning titleholder to twice succumb for sub-150 scores on their home deck doesn’t make for the sternest opposition.
No doubt Queensland coach Darren Lehman had plenty to ponder as he sucked back on his post-match stubbie on Friday.
Suddenly, his batting looks a bit flaky. During both digs there were a number of starts, but nothing substantial.
Wade Townsend and Andrew Robinson are yet to put together a substantial opening stand and have already shared three ducks for the season.
Against the Redbacks it was a slogged century from Ben Cutting and more lower-order heroics from Chris Hartley that provided the runs in an outright win.
New recruit Usman Khawaja contributed a slick 88 on his Queensland debut against SA, but the runs dried up against the proven international attack of Victoria.
Ditto for Peter Forrest.
Boof – and the national selectors – will be wanting to see plenty more from both if their current status as ‘international hopefuls’ is to be maintained.
With one eye on the international summer, the Bushrangers will lose the strike power of Siddle and Pattinson as well as the middle order runs of Matt Wade, but they’ve already got a jump start on the competition through two matches and at this rate could be well clear by the Christmas (Big Bash League) break.
What’s next?
Due to a quirk in the fixture bought about by the CLT20 tournament involving sides from Sydney and Perth – and meaning both NSW and WA are on extended breaks from Sheffield Shield cricket – the Bulls face a return fixture with South Australia in Adelaide and will be disappointed to come away with anything less than full points.
Victoria also plays host to Tasmania in a far more tantalising fixture at the MCG.
It’s no secret there’s a degree of animosity between these old rivals and both outfits should be at full strength for the clash.
The Tigers will likely welcome back the quality of George Bailey, Xavier Doherty and Ben Hilfenhaus while Glen Maxwell should come in for the Bushrangers.
But regardless of final selection, there’s bound to be plenty of talent on show in what shapes as the match of the summer to date.
Picture courtesy of Morne de Klerk/Getty Images AsiaPac
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