While Australia are overseas playing ODIs there is much at stake for a number of domestic players in the final month of the season

Alex Malcolm22-Feb-20192:26

Siddle sees positives in lack of recent cricket

Batsmen(Stats: leading run scorers)Marcus HarrisThe left-hander looked a lock for the Ashes series at the end of the Sydney Test having been the best performer against a top-quality India attack. But his failure to convert starts in that series came back to bite him in the two Tests against Sri Lanka and with the return of David Warner he may yet be forced out. There is no doubt the talent is there, he reached 20 in seven of his 11 Test innings, but only twice did he reach 50. He is the equal second leading run-scorer in the Shield this season with 501 runs having played four fewer innings than the leader Matthew Wade, who has made 572.Joe BurnsAfter being left out for the UAE tour and the India series Burns was finally recalled against Sri Lanka and made the most of the opportunity posting 180 in the second Test in Canberra. He now has four Test hundreds in 16 Test matches yet, somehow, he’s still not a certainty for England. His Shield record overall is what propelled him back into the Test side and he should score runs in the back half of the season. Significant scores in any of the games will carry extra weight and further reinforce his Ashes credentials.Marnus LabuschagneCompared to some others it might be harder for Labuschagne to miss the Ashes tour than to make it based on the positive reviews he has received following his performances in the last three Tests of the summer. He was a Test incumbent at the start of the Shield but a lean start meant he missed out until being somewhat surprisingly recalled for the fourth Test against India and he then made 81 at against Sri Lanka at the Gabba to shore up his place. His record against the Dukes ball in Shield cricket is solid with 707 runs at 39.30.Sheffield Shield squads

New South Wales Peter Nevill (capt), Sean Abbott, Harry Conway, Trent Copeland, Jack Edwards, Moises Henriques, Daniel Hughes, Nick Larkin, Stephen O’Keefe, Kurtis Patterson, Jason Sangha, Greg West
Western Australia Hilton Cartwright (capt), Cameron Bancroft, William Bosisto, Liam Guthrie, Aaron Hardie, Bradley Hope, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kelly, Lance Morris, Liam O’Connor, Joel Paris, Josh Philippe, Sam Whiteman
Victoria Travis Dean (capt), Scott Boland, Andrew Fekete, Seb Gotch, Marcus Harris, Jon Holland, Nic Maddinson, Will Pucovski, Matt Short, Peter Siddle, Chris Tremain, Cameron White
Queensland James Peirson (capt), Joe Burns, Luke Feldman, Cameron Gannon, Sam Heazlett, Charlie Hemphrey, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan McSweeney, Michael Neser,Matthew Renshaw, Mark Steketee, Mitch Swepson
South Australia Travis Head (capt), Tom Cooper, Callum Ferguson, Jake Lehmann, Conor McInerney, Joe Mennie, Harry Nielsen, Lloyd Pope, Chadd Sayers, Cameron Valente, Jake Weatherald, Nick Winter
Tasmania Matthew Wade (capt), Gabe Bell, Jackson Bird, Alex Doolan, Jake Doran, Jarrod Freeman, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Tim Paine, Alex Pyecroft, Tom Rogers, Jordan Silk, Charlie Wakim

Kurtis PattersonAn unbeaten century in his last Test innings against Sri Lanka will be hard to ignore. He will at the very least go on the Australia A tour. The last four Shield games are a chance to really bed down an Ashes berth. Steve Smith’s return means one of the incumbents in Australia’s Test middle order is likely to miss out in the first Ashes Test plus the ever-present need for an allrounder always means the sixth batsman is vulnerable. Patterson can alleviate any doubts with a stack of runs.Matt RenshawHe finds himself on the outside looking in after being in the squad for the Sri Lanka series but missing out on selection. He found some good form in the closing stages of the BBL tournament and he played well at the end of the last Shield season scoring three centuries post-BBL. Like Burns, he has the challenge of two games at the Gabba and one at the WACA as well one against Victoria.Will PucovskiAll eyes will be on Pucovski in the last four games of the season. He has yet to play two games in a row this season at domestic level and only played two Shield games out of six before the BBL-break due to mental health issues. He has only had four innings in matches since Christmas, two for his club side in Melbourne and two for the Cricket Australia XI. How Pucovski handles four straight games and maybe a final, could determine whether he heads on the Australia A tour.Matthew WadeChairman of selectors Trevor Hohns explained Wade’s omission from the Test squad was partly due to him batting too low in the order for Tasmania. He will get a chance higher up the order, likely at No. 4, with Tim Paine back as wicketkeeper batsman and George Bailey injured. He has an opportunity to do something no player has done in Sheffield Shield cricket for four years: score 1000 runs. Not since Adam Voges and Michael Klinger both did it in 2014-15 has the mark been crossed. It was enough to earn Voges an Australia call-up aged 35. If it’s not enough to get Wade to England then the chorus of criticism from the public and media will reach an unprecedented level.Mitchell MarshHe started the summer as Australia’s new vice-captain and now he finds himself in no man’s land, out of favour for all three formats and unsure of his place in Australian cricket. To make matters worse he will miss WA’s first Shield game following the BBL break after suffering a nasty groin injury. He may need more runs and wickets than most to be recalled after failing to capitalise on his opportunities over the last 12 months.Daniel Worrall celebrates a wicket•Getty ImagesBowlers(Stats: leading wicket-takers)Peter SiddleSiddle has been a victim of his own success in that his trustworthiness and return to form led to him being included in all Australian squads across the summer but he ended up carrying drinks more than playing. Now he gets the chance to settle in for Victoria and bowl a lot of overs with the Dukes balls which will suit him perfectly. He was superb for Essex in England last year taking 37 wickets at 16.40 in just seven matches and he remains likely to be part of the Ashes touring squad.Chris TremainMuch like Wade, there’s nothing he can do other than pile up wickets in the hope of forcing the selectors hand through sheer volume of performances. He has dominated the Sheffield Shield over the last two seasons and is dueling teammate Scott Boland to be the leading wicket-taker once again.Scott BolandHe has been in tremendous form this season leading the Shield wicket-takers with 36 at 17.41. He didn’t get to play much in the back-end of the BBL season for Melbourne Stars and it will be interesting to see whether that affects his rhythm on return. He and Tremain might be in a straight shoot-out for a spot on the Australia A tour and the Ashes.Daniel WorrallThere has been a lot of discussion about Worrall’s chances for the Ashes tour. Injury will be the biggest issue. He is being rested from the first Shield game after the BBL due to concerns over his troubled back. If he can get up and going and play the last three games without interruption, and bowl well, he will almost certainly be part of the Australia A tour.Chadd SayersSayers has quickly become a forgotten man after making his Test debut in South Africa the match after the ball-tampering scandal and claiming the prized scalp of AB de Villiers. Since then he has played only three JLT Cup games and three Shield games earlier this season before needing minor surgery to fix a knee issue. He gets a chance to re-establish himself as one of Australia’s premier swing bowlers over the last four rounds to stake a claim for an Australia A berth.Jon Holland gives the ball a twirl•Getty ImagesJames PattinsonThe potential of having Pattinson join Australia’s already rapid attack has got tongues wagging. He made a cautious return to the Shield earlier this season after back problems before a side strain injury curtailed his BBL. He won’t be back until next month and remains a long-shot for the Ashes, but that is unlikely to stop the chatter if he gets among the wickets. Durability rather than wickets could be the deciding factor.Jon HollandHe was Australia’s second spinner in the UAE but has scarcely played in this home summer with three Shield games for Victoria out of six before the BBL and an outing for the CA XI where he claimed 4 for 28. How much bowling he gets between now and then might depend on the dominance of Victoria’s quicks, although they are playing on four flat pitches where his services will be needed in the third and fourth innings especially.Steve O’KeefeHe candidly admitted ahead of the BBL semi-final that his prospects of playing for Australia again are very unlikely. But Ashton Agar’s serious finger injury means that experienced spin options beyond Nathan Lyon and Holland are thin on the ground. O’Keefe’s record is exceptional and he can never be discounted.