TOPIC:

Did anyone read the Greg Chappell article re Shield Cricket revamp...apparently with all things COVID, this is a perfect time for the CA to prioritize the comp in terms of player development....focus on developing youngsters through premier, state and then test cricket. Back in the day premier club cricket had all the Test players regularly playing for their local club, thus raising the quality for young aspiring players to experience.

Chappell mentions a shield season beginning in Sept and ending in Dec, or a comp beginning in Feb - April hiatus then finishing the season Oct -Nov time....allocate the BBL a holiday slot, but not bang in the middle of a test series...no doubt with this record return of BBL profits this won't happen, as the greedy farkers in the CA will be only thinking of the money....

Be interesting to see if Cummins is made captain, his IPL days will finish on his own accord and other players may follow suit, Smith without a contract might be a plus....surely a focus on test cricket is CA priority?

On the batting front it's interesting to read the likes of M Marsh, Harris, Wade, Head and Burns all in their late 20s and early 30s, still possess 30+ test and FC batting averages...thus they don't seem to be learning from their mistakes, despite 7+ years in the system....surely it's time to move these guys to the side and take a plunge on a Phillippe, Sutherland, and Inglis type talent, who yes possess average FC averages at the early stages of their career but with greater opportunity, could do a Labuschagne and rise to the elite challenge....blooding Green and Pucovski were good moves and obviously based on their 50+ FC averages....

Chappell also mentions to play an under 23 side in the Shield, to give exposure to players stuck behind the Marsh, Harris, Burns Head, Stonis types at State level....who else is there out there in their early 20s who Aust could take a punt on on Labuschagne type punt.....I am a Head fan, but geez for a player with his experience, he just wafts too much despite playing FC since he was 18....

Freez, not having seen Greg Chappell's article yet (let me rephrase that: the article where GC talks about a Shield revamp), but presumably the Under-23 side would be in addition to the six traditional states.
I just think that would make a bit of a mockery of the comp, but I'm a bit of a traditionalist.
I'd prefer we continued the current format of the Shield, though COVID has disrupted this season and last's schedule.
Would also like to see the domestic one-dayers played in the same week two states meet in a Shield match.
Of the two other options, I'd prefer the Shield season ran from September to December rather than across adjacent domestic seasons.
However, 10 four-day matches is a lot to fit into three months (mid-Sept to mid-Dec).
Personally, I'd rather reduce the number of matches in the BBL to create more room to fit Shield matches in.
BBL Phase 1: Each team plays each other once (28 games)
BBL Phase 2: Based on ladder positions, teams split into two groups of four (Group A: 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th; Group B: 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th). Each group then plays in a WAFL final-four set-up (8 games).
Phase 3: The winners of each Group meet in a best-of-three finals series.
This would reduce the number of Big Bash games from the 61 we had this year to 38 or 39.
However, Cricket Australia might see this as killing the goose that laid the golden egg.
Anyhow, I shall seek out GC's thoughts.
Re the batsmen you mentioned, Cam Green and Will Pucovski were both earmarked as potentially great batsmen before their Test selection.
Marnus Labuscagne was something of a surprise - and long may these surprises (e.g. Kyle Mayers) continue in Test cricket.
I think the only thing Marnus has done wrong is upset JL by eating a toasted sandwich in the dugout!

I see the muppets at CA have announced and made a reduction to the end of the cricket season with the Sheffield Shield (8 games) & Marsh (5 games) One Day Cup both being reduced by a couple of games each.
Why they would not just do away with the Marsh Cup and have a full 10 game SS season I will never know, especially as most of the Test team will be available to play in it.
Or even better how about reducing that silly KFC Buckethead Cricket tournament that goes on for an eternity and is really only played by those not good enough to play Test cricket for their respective countries!


On a somewhat positive note though it looks like we have avoided having to play a near full strength NSW/Australia A again in our remaining games.
With WA missing 9 players (M.Marsh, Phillipe, Turner, Stoinis, Short, Agar, Richardson, Behrendorff, Tye...the latter 2 unlikely to play proper cricket anyway) travelling to NZ to play in a moronic 5 game T20 tournament it will leave some gaping holes in our team but I guess it does give opportunities for young players to make their mark.
Possible WA team/squad for the SS games upcoming-

Bancroft
Whiteman
S.Marsh (C)
Green
Carder
Cartwright (or Fanning, Hardie)
Inglis (w/k)
Paris
Kelly
Gannon
Moody (or Hardie, Guthrie, Morris, O'Connor, Rocchioccholi, *Connolly)

Does anyone know what has happened to young Jayden Goodwin this season?

Freeze & Arch the clowns at CA are probably scratching their heads about why we cannot find 6 decent long term Test batsman (outside of Smith, Labuschagne, Pucovski, Green) to take us forward for the next decade.
I would suggest having a full 10 Shield games with full strength squads (including our Test players) should be the priority, not the silly KFC Buckethead game which quite frankly is for the majority only played by B or C Graders not good enough to play in their respective countries Test team anymore!

BH, apparently Goodwin has taken a sabbatical and doing some missionary work in Zimbabwe mate....though this was at the start of 2020 before COVID set in.....

Cooper Connolly hopefully will be in the WA shield mix sooner rather then later BH....talented batsmen/spinner...

Freezin wrote: BH, apparently Goodwin has taken a sabbatical and doing some missionary work in Zimbabwe mate....though this was at the start of 2020 before COVID set in.....

Cooper Connolly hopefully will be in the WA shield mix sooner rather then later BH....talented batsmen/spinner...

Yep I put an asterisk next to young Connolly's name Freeze as I thought they may just take him to Sydney for a bit of experience and get used to those conditions over there but not quite ready to play SS cricket just yet, but definitely one for the future.