TOPIC:

Great innings by Sam Whiteman in the Marsh Cup win over SA yesterday, guided WA to victory when it looked very dicey at 2-27 chasing 280. I wonder if Sam might be a bit of a smokey for national honours. He has had a very good season. Mind you not as good as Bancroft. 
Frustrating for the SACA's, they need to learn how to win. They really had WA on the ropes in the last 10 overs but a series of dropped catches and misfields let WA back into the game

Gee there were 2 great games at the WACA vs SA over the last week, and both were very similar in how they played out late.
SA had both games at their mercy late in the piece but a couple of errors in the field proved costly and WA took full advantage of them to get the W.
Whiteman played a great knock but I thought Richardson also did, coming in under pressure with 50 odd still needed from 6 overs and he played (as Tony Greig would often say in the Ch9 commentary) "A little gem of an innings" to smash 25 off 16 balls.
SA will be kicking themselves they let 2 games in Perth slip when they had WA on the ropes but couldnt quite deliver that knockout blow, at least Jason Gillespie has them well and truly on the improve from their last 30 or so years where they have been the perennial cellar dwellers in Australian Cricket!

Goodwin will be a good one - it's up to Australia to keep him away from Zimbabwe , the lad has picked up some talent from his father who was an extremely good bat
this boy has the knife set for test cricket

Cam Green and Mitch Marsh should be available for WAs next shield game against Queensland in about a week. This will be the only opportunity for them to play red ball cricket before the first test against Pakistan. They will be competing for the number 6 spot in the Australian team for that game and at this stage Marsh has the pole position having played the last tests of the ashes series.

Green and Cartwright pulled WA out of the kaka. Terrific knocks by both.

T AS   29.77
WA    28.22
VIC    26.12
NSW  21.59
SOA   21.41
QLD   15.12

Pretty even table at the break. 4 games to play and anyone can still make the final. Queensland are probably needing to go on a winning streak but not impossible. A contrast with last season when WA were runaway leaders at this stage.

To be in 2nd spot after these first 6 games with virtually a WA 2nd XI team playing is to be commended.
Not surprisingly the current top team Tassie are the only team with no players in an Australian squad at the moment and thus not affected by players missing!
Hopefully when the Big Bash circus finishes and we get back to the proper Shield comp we will have the likes of Green, Inglis, M.Marsh, Richardson, Morris, Hardie, Paris, Kelly, Stoinis, Agar etc all fit and available to play the last 4 games!

the whole thing is wide open - anything could happen given the past two rounds

BH, your post got me thinking about what would be a full strength WA Shield and one day side if all players were in form and available

So 
Shield team

Bancroft
Whiteman
Hardie
Green
Marsh
Phillipe
Inglis
Agar
Paris
Richardson
Morris 

So in reserve you have guys like Kelly, Stoinis, Stobo, Gannon, Cartwright,  Haskett and Roccocholi who would probably walk into any other Shield team

One day team

Whiteman
Phillipe
Marsh
Green
Hardie
Stoinis
Inglis
Agar
Kelly
Tye
Berendorff

Again I have left out guys like Richardson, Short, Paris and Cooper Connelly
Then there are the guys who have come in as fill ins and acquitted themselves very well ( e.g Goodwin, Wylie etc)
The 2nd XI would be very competitive against the first XI in both red and white ball
WA cricket really is in a good spot at the moment

 

Interesting to see a WA 2nd XI with decent sorts in  Goodwin, Fanning, Wyllie, Cartwright, Haskett, Stobo, Gannon, Kelly and Rocchiccioli playing.....got thrashed this week by a Qld 2nd XI in the Toyota 2nd XI comp. The only Qld players in that 2nd XI with any noted first class experience were Street, Clayton, Jain and Guthrie......just goes to show the best team on paper doesn't always necessarily win.