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Rocket Science: the epitaph for the Beveridge era - whenever it ends - reading 'Here lies a team that could beat anyone on its day, but seldom did when it mattered most'. 15/7/2023
Vic 111 runs with the highest paid list in Australia
Qld 1/112
Rocket Science: the epitaph for the Beveridge era - whenever it ends - reading 'Here lies a team that could beat anyone on its day, but seldom did when it mattered most'. 15/7/2023
Victoria will be in for a world of hurt this year, we haven't produced a gun young bat since Brad Hodge and the cupboard remains bare. It's an indictment that David Hussey is still first XI and it's time to transition Quiney and Christian out and get games into some youngsters. Handscomb batted at 7 again today, if that doesn't symbolise Victorian cricket in its current state nothing does.
Victoria will be in for a world of hurt this year, we haven't produced a gun young bat since Brad Hodge and the cupboard remains bare. It's an indictment that David Hussey is still first XI and it's time to transition Quiney and Christian out and get games into some youngsters. Handscomb batted at 7 again today, if that doesn't symbolise Victorian cricket in its current state nothing does.
Seems to be a lot of ego and not consistent runs makers in the Vic line up. Seems the squad is possibly being over estimated...
Rocket Science: the epitaph for the Beveridge era - whenever it ends - reading 'Here lies a team that could beat anyone on its day, but seldom did when it mattered most'. 15/7/2023
Victoria will be in for a world of hurt this year, we haven't produced a gun young bat since Brad Hodge and the cupboard remains bare. It's an indictment that David Hussey is still first XI and it's time to transition Quiney and Christian out and get games into some youngsters. Handscomb batted at 7 again today, if that doesn't symbolise Victorian cricket in its current state nothing does.
And yet we will still complain when NSW players are selected in Australian sides.
Badly need a young batsman and speedster to come through
Western Bulldogs Football Club "Where it's cool to drool"
And yet we will still complain when NSW players are selected in Australian sides.
Badly need a young batsman and speedster to come through
We've rapidly become the state unable to move past old glories while NSW/WA produce talented kids and QLD/Tassie win trophies. The differing career progressions of Peter Handscomb and Nic Maddison says it all really. They're of a similar age, have similar talent levels and have played a similar number of games but Handscomb is shuffled around the lower order and seems to be first dropped while Maddinson has never batted out of the top 3. No surprise really which averages 36 with 5 hundreds and is on the verge of international selection while the other averages 30 with 1 ton and is still batting at 7.
Lem, who are the young quicks coming through? Are there any talented batsman we are over looking?
Cupboard is extremely bare in terms of quicks, Jake Reed is a 24 year old from Geelong who played a shield game or two at the end of last year and has a bit about him, cranks it up to 140 odd with some away movement but needs to be more consistent. Had knee surgery recently so who knows how much of him we'll see. Jake Haberfield played some mediocre Shield cricket for South Australia a few years back but I think he has a bit of ability and wouldn't be surprised if he gets a look in at some point. He just about carried Footscray to the final last year, is a tall guy who gets some bounce but most importantly is one of the few guys going around the grade scene with genuine wheels. He's 28 now though so it's probably gone past him. Blade Baxter is a 20 year old left arm quick from St Kilda who had a break out grade season last year, very raw but is a tall beanpole with some useful tools. A smokey but you'd hope he at least gets a Futures League gig at some point this year, I don't believe he's played any rep cricket and is a late bloomer. Ryan Sidebottom and Ian Holland are always at the pointy end of the grade wicket taker tally and play a lot of Futures League cricket but neither are anything to get excited about. Sidebottom lacks any standout weapons and Holland is a military medium who needs some movement off the deck to make an impact. Ben Ashkenazi, Jake Fotia and Guy Walker are the real youngsters to watch but are still babies at this stage. Fotia has the most potential to step up soonest as a line and length type who hits the deck hard but all three have hardly bowled any grade overs let alone Futures League or Shield. Walker has struggled with back issues as well.
In short, long term I think we are well stocked, each of those last three have played Australian under 19's and look exciting prospects but are nowhere near ready, the short-medium term stocks look embarrassingly bare.
The batting cupboard looks slightly better but Victorian cricket seems to destroy batting talent with rare venom. If I were Shipperd I'd stop stuffing Peter Handscomb around and lock him in at number 4 for a full season without the gloves no matter what. He's just as good a stroke-maker as Maddinson and can be genuinely destructive. Matthew Short is an 18 year old to be excited about as an opening batsman who has starred in rep cricket but found the going tougher at Grade level. South Australia have had the guts to blood Travis Head with similar results behind him so I'd love to see him given a taste but he needs to get his head down and work harder on the defensive side of his game. I'm a big fan of Travis Dean from Footscray who is beginning to put it all together at 23 and has the game to step up to the next level, he's starting to hit hundreds and knocking the door down, very classy stroke maker. Otherwise Seb Gotch has some nice pedigree and averaged 70 odd for Melbourne last year while Alex Keith has some pretty obvious batting talent. Anyone know if Meyrick Buchanan has gone back to footy as touted?
I don't buy the talk that there isn't batting talent in the state, these guys are young and have played rep cricket while making runs at Grade level...what more do they need to do? The stubbornness of the coaching staff and selectors is ridiculous and if the squad for the One Dayers is anything to go by it doesn't look like changing soon. No doubt Handscomb is ready for more responsibility while Dean and Gotch should have already been blooded and from what I've seen could comfortably be long term state cricketers if given a modicum of opportunity.
NSW beat QLD. Nothing much to note, another three wickets to Hawlewood.
Rocket Science: the epitaph for the Beveridge era - whenever it ends - reading 'Here lies a team that could beat anyone on its day, but seldom did when it mattered most'. 15/7/2023
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