Latest / The Follow-On / Domesticated - 'Man of the Moment!' Davies' refreshing approach after epic double ton + Renshaw form creates a headache

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Domesticated - 'Man of the Moment!' Davies' refreshing approach after epic double ton + Renshaw form creates a headache · The Follow-On

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Australia went 1-0 up against South Africa, but by no
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: means is there 11 for the next test locked in.
• 0:06
  Speaker 1: And there were plenty of strong performances in the Sheffield Shield,
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  Speaker 1: highlighted by a double century for Ollie Davies. Welcome to Domesticated.
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: I'm Justin Edwards, Fox Cricket writer. Will Faulkner is alongside me. Will,
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  Speaker 1: let's start with the test in South Africa, and we
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  Speaker 1: have to start with Matt Renshaw. What a superb performance
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  Speaker 1: it was from him. It's so good to see somebody
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  Speaker 1: get an opportunity in the test team and seize it,
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  Speaker 1: lock it down, and that place is his for the
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  Speaker 1: foreseeable future.
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  Speaker 2: Gradually back here again, Justin. Yeah, a bit of stability
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  Speaker 2: in that middle order, or more broadly, just the Australian
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  Speaker 2: batting unit, I think. For so long, we've seen guys
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  Speaker 2: like Stephen Smith and Marnus Labuschagne in previous years walk
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  Speaker 2: down their spots, but I think Matt Renshaw, it couldn't
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  Speaker 2: have been more comprehensive than that. 190 in the first
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: innings when none of his teammates could pass the 40s,
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: and then knocking it off with an 80-odd in the
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  Speaker 2: second innings.
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  Speaker 3: You can't ask for too much more.
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  Speaker 2: From someone who's been thrown around, really, opening in that
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: second innings against Bangladesh here in Australia only a couple
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  Speaker 2: of months ago, and now he's batting at number five.
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  Speaker 2: Played spins so well, and just looked an absolute, at
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: least one class, if not two classes, above the rest
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  Speaker 2: of the batters in that game.
• 1:10
  Speaker 3: So topped it off with two wickets as well.
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  Speaker 2: Not your general off spinner, but it very much fits
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  Speaker 2: into that part-time mold, and took two handy wickets for
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: Australia as well. I don't think you could have asked
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  Speaker 2: for any much more from Matt Renshaw. I'd be fascinated
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  Speaker 2: to see it from your eyes as to what you
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  Speaker 2: thought was his best asset throughout the test match.
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  Speaker 3: He was superb.
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  Speaker 1: And he's playing a spin through the middle overs in
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  Speaker 1: the middle order. And when that ball gets a little
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  Speaker 1: bit softer, that's going to hold him in such good stead.
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  Speaker 1: And he's been to the last couple of tours to India.
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  Speaker 1: Hasn't really performed, but he looks a more mature player now.
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  Speaker 1: And absolutely, you expect him to be on that tour
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  Speaker 1: of India. What they do with the order, even in
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: the short term for the next test, is really interesting
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  Speaker 1: for me. If Cameron Green is fit, I think he plays.
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  Speaker 1: He got 100 against Bangladesh in Darwin. Australia's two most
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  Speaker 1: recent Centurions are Matt Renshaw and Cam Green. So I
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  Speaker 1: think they both have to play if Green is fit.
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  Speaker 1: But where does Green fit in?
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  Speaker 3: It's a great question, Justin.
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  Speaker 2: It's always a selection conversation at some point with this
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  Speaker 2: Aussie team. But right now, I think there's a big
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  Speaker 2: watch on Steve Smith. So the hopes are that he
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: wasn't concussed in that first test after a nasty blow
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: to the head from Anric Northia. He bowls very, very
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: quickly for South Africa. But assuming he's fit and does
• 2:25
  Speaker 2: play in that second test, Steve Smith is probably his
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: counterpart in Bro Webster, who's the unlucky one to make way.
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: We know he made some good runs in the second innings,
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  Speaker 2: a nice little cameo, close to 40 not out, alongside
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: Pat Cummins at the end to... really put that total
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: beyond doubt for Australia, sending South Africa in for a
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: big target. But I think it's probably Webster. I mean,
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: the selectors, I think it feels like they're going to
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: double down with Nick Maddison. I think that would be
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: within their rights after his 48 in that second innings.
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: We know what his first innings was, and we'll touch
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: on that soon. But I think just the way that
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  Speaker 2: this team's structured and giving Maddison that second crack, it
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  Speaker 2: really doesn't leave the selectors with much leeway to drop
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  Speaker 2: anyone else. So assuming Smith fits, I think it's probably
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  Speaker 2: Webster that makes way. I don't know if you feel similarly.
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  Speaker 1: The Webster one is interesting because when both are fully fit,
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  Speaker 1: Webster and Green are like-for-like players. If Green is to
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: come back, Andrew McDonald said he will be a batter only.
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: He's not going to be bowling. So that doesn't... So
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  Speaker 1: if that may make Australia a little short on bowling,
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  Speaker 1: it might depend on conditions too because if it's like
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  Speaker 1: a green seamer, then you might not be so reliant
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  Speaker 1: on having an extra seamer. But that's what makes Maddison's
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  Speaker 1: place interesting.
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  Speaker 3: I suspect.
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  Speaker 1: The longer-term option may well be Renshaw and Head opening,
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  Speaker 1: green in the middle order, and Maddison's only a short-term solution.
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  Speaker 1: Could you drop him after, let's be honest, a terrible duck?
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: He got out for a pair in 33 balls. He
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  Speaker 1: was out twice, but then much better in the second
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  Speaker 1: innings with 48. And the great strength of Renshaw when
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  Speaker 1: he was selected, it's his versatility. He can bat anywhere
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  Speaker 1: one to six, and I imagine he will be asked
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  Speaker 1: soon to open, to return to opening alongside Travis Head.
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  Speaker 1: I don't actually think it would be too harsh to
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  Speaker 1: drop Nick Maddison. He might have been a short-term option.
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  Speaker 1: Renshaw has grabbed the spots in a way that Maddison didn't.
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  Speaker 1: It would be so harsh to him. But if Green
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  Speaker 1: is fit, I want to play Green. I want to
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  Speaker 1: play Renshaw. And if I need the extra overs from Webster,
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  Speaker 1: it feels like it has to be Maddison.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm probably a little bit more reluctant to drop Maddison.
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  Speaker 2: I think while South Africa bowled quite loose in that
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  Speaker 2: second innings to him, he certainly made the most of
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  Speaker 2: his opportunities and his counter-attack certainly helped Australia get underway
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  Speaker 2: in that second innings. There's no doubt about that. I
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  Speaker 2: would be more reluctant to drop Maddison. I'm not a
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  Speaker 2: believer in these one-test selections, particularly at the start of
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  Speaker 2: a series. I think if you're going to go with Maddison,
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: double down, especially after what we saw in that second innings.
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  Speaker 2: I think if we'd seen him fail twice in that
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  Speaker 2: test match, I'd be far more accepting of the idea
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  Speaker 2: there needs to be a change. But very rarely in
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  Speaker 2: the last couple of years have we seen someone with
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  Speaker 2: such authority make the runs like Matt Renshaw did at
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  Speaker 2: number five. And I'm absolutely with you in the fact
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  Speaker 2: that he will be asked, I think, inevitably to open
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  Speaker 2: for Australia this at some point, whether it's to join
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: Travis Head, or perhaps they want Head to come back
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: down to five, there's a lot that they could play
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  Speaker 2: with there, but I just don't think after one test,
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  Speaker 2: he's the one guy that looks stable across the entire
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: batting order, so I think it would be a little
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  Speaker 2: bit silly after one test to move, unless you absolutely
• 5:27
  Speaker 2: can't help it, but I think Maddison, for all his
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: flaws in that first thing, he's done enough to deserve
• 5:32
  Speaker 2: a second chance, and Maybe the left-field one is Marnus.
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  Speaker 2: I personally thought he looked really good in his 237s
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: that he made. I know they're only starts, but I
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: think he looked really good. But if they're really squeezed,
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: do they rejiggle with that number three first drop roll
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: before they give someone like Maddison the flick, who was
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: thrown certainly in the baptism of fire in that first test,
• 5:53
  Speaker 2: but I think he came out a pass when you
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: consider Matt Renshaw's runs as well.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, very interesting to see what they do. I think
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: Labashane will definitely get the next two tests. then if
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: Green even comes back in, if he's not fit for
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: this second test, it makes the selection pretty easy. They'll
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: certainly go unchanged to the top seven. They need to
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: change the bowlers. That will be conditions-based and workload-based. They
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: had to bowl for five days, which has been rare
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: in recent times. We've had test matches be over in
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: two days, but it's fascinating, the selection conversation. Renshaw feels
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  Speaker 1: like his performances has added more uncertainty. He's done so well,
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  Speaker 1: but it feels like Australia still has more questions than
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  Speaker 1: answers about their top seven.
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  Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, it does.
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  Speaker 2: As we said, with Renshaw, you feel like you should
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  Speaker 2: be getting more answers, but when he's saying them so well,
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  Speaker 2: I understand the question that comes about as to whether
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  Speaker 2: or not you do move up to him, up to
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  Speaker 2: that opening position, because that is where you're more.
• 6:47
  Speaker 3: Vulnerable with the new ball.
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  Speaker 2: I know Kerry O'Keefe's someone who's pretty happy to keep
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  Speaker 2: him in that middle order.
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  Speaker 3: I think he's so flexible.
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  Speaker 2: I think when he came into the test team almost
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: a decade ago, to the day, really, against South Africa.
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  Speaker 2: He looked like a one-trick pony, someone who could only
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: bat conservatively as an opener and see out that new ball,
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: but he's got so many tricks, and we've seen that
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  Speaker 2: across all three formats now as well. He probably was
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  Speaker 2: the unlikely pick for the next three-format player to emerge
• 7:13
  Speaker 2: in the Australian selectors' eyes, but he's done such a
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  Speaker 2: good job, and I think between him and Smith, while
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  Speaker 2: he's still playing, Travis Head's obviously also a lock. They
• 7:21
  Speaker 2: still have a fair few solid picks in that top six.
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: It's just really the order. We have so many players
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  Speaker 2: who can bat in that four, five, six role in
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: the squad and more broadly in Australian domestic cricket. It's
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: just trying to finalise that top three. And yeah, I
• 7:34
  Speaker 2: think we've got a lot to work with. They've got
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  Speaker 2: the win. It was a comfortable win Australia had. So
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  Speaker 2: now they can go back to the drawing board with
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  Speaker 2: a fair bit of confidence behind them.
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  Speaker 1: Lots of options for Australia. That second test beginning Sunday,
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  Speaker 1: of course, across the screens of Fox Cricket and KO.
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: Let's chat some Sheffield Shield, Will. Olly Davies was obviously
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: the highlight of the first round of Sheffield Shield action
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: a double century. We're going to speak to Olly Davies shortly,
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: so we'll save our discussion on him to have with him.
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  Speaker 1: Another strong performer was Jai Richardson. Now, it wasn't very
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: long ago he was in the Australian Test team. He
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: played the Boxing Day Test. That was only four or
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: five tests ago. He ripped through Queensland. Five for 19.
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  Speaker 1: Queensland were bowled out for 68 in what ended up
• 8:14
  Speaker 1: a very narrow win for WA. So Richardson's spell was
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: just about match winning in the context of the game.
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  Speaker 1: Great to see him performing at Shield level again. And
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  Speaker 1: I'm sure he remains very much in national selection conversation.
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  Speaker 3: Oh, absolutely.
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  Speaker 2: I think he's certainly going to be one that's around
• 8:31
  Speaker 2: the conversation. And that Australian squad this summer against New Zealand,
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  Speaker 2: from a WA perspective, I think the rhetoric in some
• 8:38
  Speaker 2: corners of the media this summer was that they would
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: be struggling a little bit. We've seen how dominant they've
• 8:42
  Speaker 2: been throughout the last few years and more broadly the
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: decade in Sheffield Shield cricket. But I think with a
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: few young guns emerging, there was maybe... a period of rebuild.
• 8:50
  Speaker 2: I don't use that word lightly, but a lot of
• 8:52
  Speaker 2: young faces coming into the team. So to see them
• 8:55
  Speaker 2: get a win on the board first up in the
• 8:56
  Speaker 2: Sheffield Shield was excellent. And John Richardson, as you said, Justin,
• 8:59
  Speaker 2: was at the forefront of that. They really needed that
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: spell from him in the second innings to roll Queensland.
• 9:04
  Speaker 2: It wasn't the easiest of pitches to get the job
• 9:07
  Speaker 2: done with the bat, but WA certainly made the most
• 9:09
  Speaker 2: of it with the ball. We know they ended up
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: winning that game. With two wickets in hand and Richardson's spell,
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: he looks right in his groove. And that's not something
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: that we have always been able to say about Richardson.
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: We know he's been in some patches with injury where
• 9:22
  Speaker 2: he's struggled from time to time in the last few years.
• 9:24
  Speaker 3: But he looks right at home.
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: He looked a little bit scratchy in that first innings,
• 9:27
  Speaker 2: but absolutely found his way in the second. So really
• 9:30
  Speaker 2: great to see. The other one I want to quickly
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: touch on as well, Justin, in terms of the quicks
• 9:34
  Speaker 2: from that match was Xavier Butler. I think he toiled
• 9:36
  Speaker 2: so well.
• 9:37
  Speaker 3: For Queensland.
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: On the other end of the spectrum, for the visitors
• 9:40
  Speaker 2: there at the WACA, he nearly got them over the line, Queensland.
• 9:44
  Speaker 2: That was a tough total to defend in the low 200s,
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: and I thought he tried his heart out.
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  Speaker 3: I think he's another one like Richardson.
• 9:51
  Speaker 2: He's probably slightly behind Richardson in the pecking order there,
• 9:54
  Speaker 2: but we haven't seen him at international level in the
• 9:56
  Speaker 2: Red Bull, but I think he's one to watch, Justin.
• 9:58
  Speaker 2: I think he bowls superbly, and he's always one who's
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: wanting to improve his Red Bull game. We've seen him
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: appear in White Bull for Australia, but I think he's
• 10:05
  Speaker 2: going to be someone who's along Jai Richardson in those
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: conversations this summer.
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: Yeah, Bartlett has been really good when he's played for
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: Australia in White Bull cricket, and the selectors consider that
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: a big tick, and he will probably be playing White
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: Bull cricket for Australia against England this which it's sort
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: of a double-edged sword. It's always great to be playing
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: for your country, but it means he might miss a
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: few shield matches in the lead up to those New
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: Zealand tests. But we've seen, we saw Renshaw made his
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: way from the white ball team to the red ball team,
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: obviously did that successfully. I also think with Jai Richardson,
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: one of his great strengths is he can add a
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: variety to the Australian attack. Now, obviously a left armour
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: in Stark is variety, but Richardson is, he's shorter than
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: most fast bowlers.
• 10:45
  Speaker 3: So he's skittish.
• 10:46
  Speaker 1: He has a lower trajectory. And I wouldn't be surprised
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: if he's on that Board of Gaviscar Trophy tour to
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: India because those are the quicks that have more success
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: in India. The lower, slower, flatter pitches. Richardson gets a
• 10:59
  Speaker 1: lot more of his wickets bold and LBW compared to Cummins, Stark,
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: Hazelwood who get a very high proportion of their wickets
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: caught in the slip cordon and by the keeper. You
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: see how many catches Steve Smith takes. A lot of
• 11:10
  Speaker 1: them are because Cummins, Stark and Hazelwood get so many edges.
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: So I think that Richardson, he's not going to be
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: in their best 11 if they're playing two quicks. It's
• 11:18
  Speaker 1: going to be Stark and Cummins in the subcontinent. But
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: it's a five-test series. A lot of things can happen.
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: I wouldn't be surprised if Richardson is on that plane.
• 11:29
  Speaker 2: Yeah, he's a smokey. The first person that came to
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: mind from India was Umesh Yadav. Justin, not the exact
• 11:34
  Speaker 2: same kind of bowler, but someone who targets the stumps
• 11:36
  Speaker 2: a fair bit back in his days for India, as
• 11:39
  Speaker 2: you said.
• 11:39
  Speaker 3: It's an important point of difference.
• 11:41
  Speaker 2: Not the polar end of the spectrum when you speak
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: about variety. Mitchell Stark obviously being a left-arm is right
• 11:47
  Speaker 2: up in that alleyway. But as for Richardson, yeah, he's
• 11:50
  Speaker 2: certainly a point of difference. And I think, as I said,
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: he's going to be around the camp this summer and,
• 11:54
  Speaker 2: by extension, heading to India next summer. I think he's
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: a niche point of difference in some ways.
• 11:59
  Speaker 1: Another great performance with the ball that caught some eyes
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: was Harry Hoekstra. Now, because of the Australia A Tour
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: and with plenty of players in South Africa, there were
• 12:09
  Speaker 1: 11 debutants across the first round of the Sheffield Shield season,
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: which was great to see. And Harry Hoekstra taking six
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: wickets for Victoria, 20 years old, he also top-scored with
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: the bats, He is one to watch a nice tall
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: left armour at 20. An exciting prospect for Victoria.
• 12:28
  Speaker 2: Yeah, he's one of several really exciting prospects in Victoria, Justin.
• 12:32
  Speaker 2: You have Tom Paddington, who's uncapped at WA. Austin Amazak
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: as well, who we've seen a little bit in the
• 12:36
  Speaker 2: white ball format. And Tyler Pearson, who we also haven't
• 12:39
  Speaker 2: seen much of. But they've got a really strong young quartet.
• 12:41
  Speaker 2: And Hoxtra now, all of a sudden, has sort of
• 12:43
  Speaker 2: stamped himself as the big one to watch.
• 12:45
  Speaker 3: He's a left-armer.
• 12:46
  Speaker 2: He's not as quick as some of those counterparts I've
• 12:49
  Speaker 2: just mentioned. But he certainly knows his line and length.
• 12:52
  Speaker 2: His batting was probably something that took him a little
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: bit by surprise.
• 12:55
  Speaker 3: He's 49 yards.
• 12:56
  Speaker 2: In the first innings for Victoria, it was at a
• 12:58
  Speaker 2: time of need for them. They were really struggling on
• 13:00
  Speaker 2: that Junction Oval pitch on day one against the South
• 13:02
  Speaker 2: Australian attack.
• 13:03
  Speaker 3: But we have seen it a little bit.
• 13:04
  Speaker 2: Before at first XI level for Casey South Melbourne here
• 13:07
  Speaker 2: in Victoria Premier Cricket and also at second XI level
• 13:10
  Speaker 2: for Victoria. So last year he took two five-fers for
• 13:13
  Speaker 2: Casey in Premier Cricket and also a six-fer as well
• 13:15
  Speaker 2: in Vic's second XI. So he's been someone who's consistently
• 13:18
  Speaker 2: performing for them at their lower levels and it's a
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: great time to blood these players, Justin, when you have
• 13:22
  Speaker 2: players coming in Back from an Australia A tour, you
• 13:25
  Speaker 2: get a look at some of these types. Liam Blackford,
• 13:27
  Speaker 2: from a batting perspective, was one that we saw a
• 13:29
  Speaker 2: fair bit of for Victoria as well and start on
• 13:32
  Speaker 2: one day debut and has had some good starts as
• 13:34
  Speaker 2: well in games since. So he's certainly one to watch.
• 13:37
  Speaker 2: There's another one, Justin, that I want to throw to you.
• 13:39
  Speaker 2: Noah McFadgen from South Australia. Now, he's a back-to-back Bradman
• 13:42
  Speaker 2: medalist in South Australia's Premier competition and has came onto
• 13:46
  Speaker 2: the scene. Not a lot of people would know a
• 13:47
  Speaker 2: lot about him, but he couldn't have done much more
• 13:49
  Speaker 2: on his debut.
• 13:50
  Speaker 1: 134 not out in that same match, that Victoria-South Australia match,
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: as the SAC has put on over 500. Such a
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: good performance from McFadden. It's great to see these debutantes
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: coming in and making an impact. And what it will
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: create is some selection headaches for the next round of
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: Shield Cricket when all those Australia A guys are back.
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: Jason Stanger will be back. Nathan McSweeney will be back
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: for South Australia. McFadden surely has done enough to hold
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: his place, but that will be very interesting. With South
• 14:16
  Speaker 1: Australia getting that big score, and there were some big
• 14:18
  Speaker 1: scores at Cricket Central as well with Tasmania and New
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: South Wales. It does look as though the curators have
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: got the memo. Cricket Australia asked them a little bit
• 14:27
  Speaker 1: more batter friendly if you can. And we have seen
• 14:30
  Speaker 1: that and we've seen some hundreds. There were five hundreds.
• 14:33
  Speaker 1: Ben Minanti, Jack Edwards, Jimmy Pearson also getting hundreds as
• 14:36
  Speaker 1: well as Davies and McFadden. So we're getting some scores
• 14:39
  Speaker 1: back into the shield and that will help for test
• 14:41
  Speaker 1: selection coming up into this summer because we might have
• 14:44
  Speaker 1: some guys averaging 40 plus, perhaps even 50 to choose
• 14:48
  Speaker 1: from if there's a place in the Australian team.
• 14:53
  Speaker 3: It warms the heart, Justin.
• 14:54
  Speaker 2: It warms the domesticated heart because it gives us more
• 14:56
  Speaker 2: names to speak about for selection in the summer. Yeah,
• 14:59
  Speaker 2: as you said, five blokes making hundreds. In the first
• 15:02
  Speaker 2: round of the Sheffield Shield, it's great to see there
• 15:04
  Speaker 2: was obviously some highlights. I mean, it's pretty hard to
• 15:05
  Speaker 2: go past. Ollie Davies' double century, that's the first double century.
• 15:09
  Speaker 2: We didn't see one last summer or the summer before that.
• 15:11
  Speaker 2: So it broke a little bit of a drought in
• 15:13
  Speaker 2: that sense at Shield level, but it was so good
• 15:15
  Speaker 2: to watch. I think Jack Edwards was certainly a beneficiary
• 15:18
  Speaker 2: of that double hundred that Davies made. Didn't have as
• 15:20
  Speaker 2: much pressure at the other end and batted magnificently. Ben
• 15:22
  Speaker 2: Menenti's first first-class 100 as well for SA did that
• 15:26
  Speaker 2: alongside McFadgen for the vast majority as well. So there's
• 15:29
  Speaker 2: just so much to like at Shield Cricket. And a
• 15:31
  Speaker 2: couple of those guys are all-rounders as well. So they've
• 15:34
  Speaker 2: got more than one string to their bow. All of
• 15:35
  Speaker 2: Edwards bowls. Menenti, we know, is a spinner. McFadgen can
• 15:38
  Speaker 2: bowl as well. And obviously Jimmy Pearson as well as
• 15:40
  Speaker 2: a wicket keeper. We'd like to be keeping his name
• 15:42
  Speaker 2: in the conversation, I think, as a reserve keeper. We
• 15:45
  Speaker 2: saw that Sam Harper made runs at the right place
• 15:47
  Speaker 2: at the right time. He's now in South Africa. Injury
• 15:49
  Speaker 2: perhaps hasn't helped Pearson as much in recent times, but...
• 15:52
  Speaker 2: was certainly a timely 100 for him. So there's plenty
• 15:54
  Speaker 2: to like. Aaron Hardy as well, a great 80-0 out
• 15:57
  Speaker 2: in the secondings for Western Australia.
• 15:59
  Speaker 3: Didn't quite get to triple digits.
• 16:01
  Speaker 2: The game finished before he could get there, but I
• 16:02
  Speaker 2: think that 80 was something that was worth 100 in
• 16:05
  Speaker 2: that Sheffield Shield round as well. Saw WA home by
• 16:08
  Speaker 2: two wickets. It was exceptional leadership from him. So a
• 16:10
  Speaker 2: lot to like, Justin, and certainly a lot to talk
• 16:12
  Speaker 2: about going forward. Thank you to some pitches that aren't
• 16:15
  Speaker 2: ending results in two or just over two days.
• 16:18
  Speaker 1: Yeah, new WA captain Aaron Hardy doing well Good things
• 16:22
  Speaker 1: for W8. Now, there's one story in domestic cricket that
• 16:25
  Speaker 1: I think is flying under the radar, and I want
• 16:27
  Speaker 1: to have a look at Hugh Wybgen, who is putting
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: together such a strong start to his career, specifically in
• 16:34
  Speaker 1: List A cricket. So Hugh Wybgen, he was the captain
• 16:38
  Speaker 1: of Australia's 2024 Under-19 World Cup team. They won the
• 16:42
  Speaker 1: Under-19 World Cup, and that had players like Sam Constis,
• 16:45
  Speaker 1: Harry Dixon, Ollie Peake. So it's a strong form guide,
• 16:50
  Speaker 1: if you like. In his first 10 matches of List
• 16:52
  Speaker 1: A cricket, he's got three centuries. He's averaging 59 in
• 16:57
  Speaker 1: that format, another 100 he just got against WA. I
• 17:00
  Speaker 1: wouldn't be surprised to see this guy playing white ball
• 17:03
  Speaker 1: cricket for Australia very soon. Like, he's a guy sort
• 17:07
  Speaker 1: of in the Cooper Connolly, Ollie Peake mould, and he's
• 17:09
  Speaker 1: got better List A records than those guys. They've been
• 17:12
  Speaker 1: picked on their potential, where Weibgen seems like he's doing
• 17:15
  Speaker 1: it already.
• 17:18
  Speaker 3: He's a gun, Justin.
• 17:19
  Speaker 2: I think we write an article every summer on foxforce.com.au
• 17:23
  Speaker 2: and it's our 25 players under the age of 25. Now,
• 17:26
  Speaker 2: Hugh has been in that list the last couple of years,
• 17:28
  Speaker 2: but he'll be right up there come next month when
• 17:31
  Speaker 2: we release that on our website.
• 17:32
  Speaker 3: He's so technically sound.
• 17:34
  Speaker 2: And I think the thing that I've really loved about
• 17:35
  Speaker 2: him specifically in the white ball format is he made
• 17:38
  Speaker 2: his first hundred in the middle order, the middle to
• 17:40
  Speaker 2: lower order for Queensland. But the last couple of hundreds,
• 17:43
  Speaker 2: he's moved up from four to six in the batting
• 17:46
  Speaker 2: order to opening. And he's been doing it at a
• 17:47
  Speaker 2: great rate. So he's made both those hundreds opening for Queensland.
• 17:50
  Speaker 2: There has been that void that's opened up at the
• 17:53
  Speaker 2: top of the order for the balls. And he's just
• 17:54
  Speaker 2: made the absolute most of it. As I said, he's
• 17:57
  Speaker 2: so technically sound. He's a very strong player through the
• 18:00
  Speaker 2: leg side, which is a very important quality, particularly in
• 18:03
  Speaker 2: white ball cricket. We know that that's where a lot
• 18:05
  Speaker 2: of batters like to try and free the arms up
• 18:07
  Speaker 2: and swing leg side. So he's certainly one to watch.
• 18:10
  Speaker 2: As you said, there is a white ball tournament or
• 18:12
  Speaker 2: bilateral series against England coming up next month, would he
• 18:15
  Speaker 2: be someone just to have around the squad? Not necessarily
• 18:18
  Speaker 2: playing first up, but just to get him involved at
• 18:20
  Speaker 2: international level around the squad, I think would certainly be
• 18:23
  Speaker 2: someone who would benefit from that. And he's certainly one
• 18:25
  Speaker 2: of those players who's going to be leading the next
• 18:26
  Speaker 2: generation of batters in Australian domestic cricket and beyond that
• 18:29
  Speaker 2: at international level.
• 18:31
  Speaker 1: Yeah, he might be one of those guys who is just,
• 18:33
  Speaker 1: his rhythms of his batting is just so suited to
• 18:36
  Speaker 1: the 50 over format. Cannot wait to see what he
• 18:39
  Speaker 1: does next. In the next 12 months, potentially for Australia,
• 18:42
  Speaker 1: Ian Whiteball cricket, and especially that 50-over format, that might
• 18:46
  Speaker 1: be his specialty and could be a strong player for
• 18:48
  Speaker 1: the future, for the next decade perhaps, Hugh Wybgen. Coming
• 18:52
  Speaker 1: up on Domesticated, we speak to the man of the
• 18:55
  Speaker 1: moment in domestic cricket, Ollie Davies, on the back of
• 18:57
  Speaker 1: his double century. Well, it was 253 from 225 balls.
• 19:04
  Speaker 1: The man of the moment in Sheffield Shield cricket, Ollie
• 19:06
  Speaker 1: Davies joins us. Ollie, thanks so much for your time
• 19:09
  Speaker 1: and happy birthday. Thank you for joining us on the
• 19:12
  Speaker 1: day you turned 26.
• 19:15
  Speaker 4: No worries.
• 19:16
  Speaker 5: Thanks for having me. I'm stoked to be here. Like
• 19:19
  Speaker 5: I just said a little bit earlier, getting old, feeling old.
• 19:21
  Speaker 5: I'm pretty sore after the fixture during the week, but yeah,
• 19:25
  Speaker 5: it's good.
• 19:25
  Speaker 4: 253.
• 19:28
  Speaker 1: Tell us what it's like, the feeling in the middle
• 19:30
  Speaker 1: when you're just hitting them so well and it's coming
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: off so well like that, when going at better than
• 19:36
  Speaker 1: a runner ball for 253 runs.
• 19:41
  Speaker 5: Yeah, it was pretty surreal. I wasn't entirely sure. It
• 19:45
  Speaker 5: was my first time opening in Sheffield Shield. my second
• 19:50
  Speaker 5: time opening in Red Bull cricket ever. So it was, yeah,
• 19:54
  Speaker 5: I wasn't sure how I wanted to go about it.
• 19:56
  Speaker 5: I'm sort of naturally a pretty aggressive player that likes
• 19:59
  Speaker 5: to move the game forward. And part of me was like,
• 20:02
  Speaker 5: I'll have a look for 20 or 30 balls and
• 20:04
  Speaker 5: get into my innings and then After I faced the
• 20:07
  Speaker 5: first probably over, I was like, the field's up. I'm
• 20:10
  Speaker 5: just going to try and pile in and get as
• 20:12
  Speaker 5: many as I can as quick as I can.
• 20:13
  Speaker 3: I like it, Ollie. Thank you for joining us. Happy birthday.
• 20:20
  Speaker 2: Welcome to the 26 Club. It's great to have a
• 20:22
  Speaker 2: Shield double hundred between us. I just want to speak
• 20:24
  Speaker 2: more about the opening, the batting side of things. How
• 20:27
  Speaker 2: long did you know about this, I guess, heading into
• 20:29
  Speaker 2: the first round of the Shield season? As you said,
• 20:31
  Speaker 2: you've rarely done it at all at professional level. Was
• 20:34
  Speaker 2: that something that you... you felt like maybe the freedom
• 20:36
  Speaker 2: that you had all sort of came as a result
• 20:38
  Speaker 2: of having not done it much. Did you lean on
• 20:40
  Speaker 2: people inside the four walls at New South Wales? I
• 20:42
  Speaker 2: guess speak us through the lead up to that shield
• 20:44
  Speaker 2: game with you opening and obviously having such a great output.
• 20:48
  Speaker 5: Yeah, it was, it was a bit of a weird one.
• 20:50
  Speaker 5: Obviously we've got Brad Haddon as our new head coaches here.
• 20:55
  Speaker 5: He's been awesome to start off the season, just given
• 20:58
  Speaker 5: us a lot of freedom to play the way we
• 21:00
  Speaker 5: want to play. And yeah, For me, I guess I
• 21:03
  Speaker 5: spoke to him early in the season and I saw
• 21:07
  Speaker 5: on a team list for one of the trial games
• 21:11
  Speaker 5: that I was opening and I was like, oh, that's
• 21:13
  Speaker 5: a bit weird. I don't usually do that. I'm happy
• 21:16
  Speaker 5: to bat five, six. And then, yeah, basically played one
• 21:21
  Speaker 5: of the trial games. I nicked off for a third
• 21:25
  Speaker 5: ball duck, I believe, and I had a long chat
• 21:27
  Speaker 5: with Brad after the that innings. And I said, um,
• 21:31
  Speaker 5: you know, I'm not sure if, you know, this is
• 21:33
  Speaker 5: for me. And he basically said, just give it a crack.
• 21:37
  Speaker 5: He's like, you know, we've been thinking about it for
• 21:39
  Speaker 5: a while and we think it could suit you. And
• 21:41
  Speaker 5: then uh, next innings, I went out and batted and
• 21:46
  Speaker 5: got 140 not out. And he was just like, yep,
• 21:48
  Speaker 5: I think that, um, that'll suit you nicely. So it
• 21:51
  Speaker 5: kind of progressed from there.
• 21:52
  Speaker 4: And I just kept, um, yeah, kept opening the batting.
• 21:55
  Speaker 5: And all the trial games and, um, you know, scored
• 21:58
  Speaker 5: a couple of runs here and there and, um, just
• 22:01
  Speaker 5: stuck with it. So definitely wasn't something that I ever
• 22:04
  Speaker 5: would have thought that I would have done opening in a,
• 22:06
  Speaker 5: in a shield game. Um, and, But, you know, I'm
• 22:08
  Speaker 5: stoked for the opportunity and just to be, I guess,
• 22:10
  Speaker 5: back in the blue set up and playing games.
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: Certainly looks to be suiting you at the moment, Oli.
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: New South Wales are missing Sammy Constance at the moment.
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: He was over with Australia A. So when he returns,
• 22:21
  Speaker 1: are you and Sam Constance going to open the batting together?
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: That's a fairly aggressive opening stand.
• 22:28
  Speaker 4: I think so.
• 22:29
  Speaker 5: I'm not 100% sure. I, you know, obviously there's a
• 22:33
  Speaker 5: lot of those Aussie, Aussie guys coming back. So Josh Phillippe,
• 22:37
  Speaker 5: Lockie Shaw and Sam Constance. And I think that I'm
• 22:42
  Speaker 5: not sure if I was originally going to be selected
• 22:45
  Speaker 5: for the second shield game with all those boys coming back,
• 22:48
  Speaker 5: but I'd obviously like to think now that I've probably
• 22:51
  Speaker 5: got myself another couple of games at the top of
• 22:53
  Speaker 5: the order. So assuming Sammy comes back and opens the
• 22:56
  Speaker 5: batting for us, I'll probably be paired alongside him.
• 22:59
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 23:03
  Speaker 2: I think it's safe to say you'll be in the
• 23:05
  Speaker 2: squad for the next Shield game, Ollie. But speaking, I guess,
• 23:08
  Speaker 2: the contrary with your score last week with the 253,
• 23:12
  Speaker 2: speak us through the back end of your season last year.
• 23:14
  Speaker 2: You probably didn't have the Shield output last year. that
• 23:16
  Speaker 2: you would have liked. It's all outside of the New
• 23:19
  Speaker 2: South Wales team for a little bit. What did that
• 23:21
  Speaker 2: road back to the shield team look like for you?
• 23:23
  Speaker 2: I guess, you know, all the way back from the
• 23:25
  Speaker 2: back end of last year to now, what were the
• 23:27
  Speaker 2: things that you worked on? Obviously Brad Haddon, as you
• 23:29
  Speaker 2: mentioned before, has come in as your new shield coach.
• 23:31
  Speaker 2: Just take us inside and behind those doors.
• 23:35
  Speaker 5: Yeah, it was, I'm not going to lie, it's probably
• 23:38
  Speaker 5: a pretty dark time. You know, I've, sort of all
• 23:42
  Speaker 5: through my junior cricket and um even the start of
• 23:45
  Speaker 5: my professional career I've always basically kind of scored runs
• 23:50
  Speaker 5: and consistently sort of scored runs if I had you
• 23:52
  Speaker 5: know a couple of bad games I'd sort of bounce
• 23:54
  Speaker 5: back and um yeah it was it was an interesting
• 23:58
  Speaker 5: one I had a shocking start to the year I
• 24:00
  Speaker 5: got dropped from the one day team after the second
• 24:02
  Speaker 5: game um and then soon after that I think it
• 24:06
  Speaker 5: was five games into the year I yeah got dropped
• 24:08
  Speaker 5: from the shield team and I knew it was coming
• 24:10
  Speaker 5: as well. It was, it was pretty, um, yeah, I,
• 24:14
  Speaker 5: I basically played a game against Tasmania at cricket central
• 24:17
  Speaker 5: last year and we, I got out for a duck
• 24:21
  Speaker 5: and then fielded 150 overs in the dirt and then
• 24:24
  Speaker 5: nicked off for five and I was walking off the
• 24:25
  Speaker 5: field and I kind of knew my fate. Um, So
• 24:29
  Speaker 5: that was, it was pretty, I guess, yeah, depressing in
• 24:34
  Speaker 5: that sense. But I wasn't really enjoying my cricket. I
• 24:37
  Speaker 5: just felt like a lot of pressure. And then I
• 24:40
  Speaker 5: went back to grade cricket for Manly after that, for
• 24:43
  Speaker 5: the back end of the season. And yeah, I was
• 24:45
  Speaker 5: playing with some of my good mates and I was
• 24:48
  Speaker 5: just absolutely loving it again. Like there was no pressure
• 24:50
  Speaker 5: to score runs and it kind of allowed me to
• 24:55
  Speaker 5: score runs. And I just, you know, found a bit
• 24:57
  Speaker 5: of love for cricket again and, you know, just playing
• 25:00
  Speaker 5: on a Saturday and then going out for a couple
• 25:02
  Speaker 5: of beers with some of the lads afterwards.
• 25:04
  Speaker 4: It was nice. But yeah, it was definitely a.
• 25:09
  Speaker 5: Yeah, an interesting, I guess, six to 12 months. I
• 25:12
  Speaker 5: didn't play much Big Bash for the Thunder either. I
• 25:14
  Speaker 5: played one game for them. So I kind of just got,
• 25:17
  Speaker 5: not shafted, but I kind of just, yeah, it was
• 25:21
  Speaker 5: just out of the mix. And I was like, you
• 25:22
  Speaker 5: know what, I'm just going to enjoy the back end
• 25:24
  Speaker 5: of the year and then try and set myself up
• 25:26
  Speaker 5: again for the start of next season and just see
• 25:28
  Speaker 5: where it goes from there.
• 25:29
  Speaker 4: And, yeah, it's all worked out nicely.
• 25:31
  Speaker 1: Certainly worked out. To be honest, Ollie, it's the kind
• 25:34
  Speaker 1: of season you had last year that would make it
• 25:37
  Speaker 1: cricketer consider changing states to try and spark something with them.
• 25:41
  Speaker 1: I wonder if that was a consideration for you.
• 25:44
  Speaker 4: Uh, yeah, I had a conversation with, um, someone the
• 25:47
  Speaker 4: other day.
• 25:48
  Speaker 5: So Greg male, um, who's basically, I'm not sure if
• 25:52
  Speaker 5: his exact role, um, word for word, but he's basically the,
• 25:56
  Speaker 5: the selector.
• 25:57
  Speaker 4: He signs people. And, um, after I got dropped from.
• 26:01
  Speaker 5: The shield team, uh, he, we had a chat and, um,
• 26:06
  Speaker 5: basically said, you know, we want to, you know, sign
• 26:08
  Speaker 5: you for another few years. Um, And we want you
• 26:12
  Speaker 5: to stay in Sydney because I've been sort of offered
• 26:15
  Speaker 5: a couple of trying to get interest from.
• 26:17
  Speaker 4: Some other big bash teams.
• 26:18
  Speaker 5: And he just said to me, he said, we really
• 26:20
  Speaker 5: want you to stay in Sydney. And I'm putting some,
• 26:24
  Speaker 5: you know, some, not my, myself on the line, but
• 26:26
  Speaker 5: you know, I'm going out on a limb to, you know,
• 26:29
  Speaker 5: sign you. So hopefully you can, you know, do me
• 26:32
  Speaker 5: a favor and score me some runs. And he shot
• 26:35
  Speaker 5: me a text after the game the other day and,
• 26:37
  Speaker 5: and said, congratulations on the runs. And I just said,
• 26:41
  Speaker 5: texted him back and just said, thanks so much for
• 26:43
  Speaker 5: backing me and having some.
• 26:44
  Speaker 4: Faith in me. So I love New South Wales.
• 26:48
  Speaker 5: I love living in Curl Curl on the northern beaches
• 26:51
  Speaker 5: and I'd never really want to move. But it definitely
• 26:54
  Speaker 5: was something because, you know, everyone else was kind of
• 26:57
  Speaker 5: excelling and I was just going downhill, I guess.
• 27:00
  Speaker 4: So I was like, maybe a change of scenery could
• 27:02
  Speaker 4: be good for me.
• 27:03
  Speaker 5: But I think with Brad Haddon and some of the
• 27:06
  Speaker 5: new coaching staff this year, it's given me a bit
• 27:08
  Speaker 5: of a fresh start and something that I probably needed personally.
• 27:15
  Speaker 2: Did you have any teammates during this time or by
• 27:17
  Speaker 2: extension family, friends outside of cricket that you were leaning
• 27:20
  Speaker 2: on during this period, Ollie? I mean, obviously your brother
• 27:22
  Speaker 2: Joel has excelled unbelievably well in the last 12 months,
• 27:25
  Speaker 2: particularly on the domestic scene. But were there people that
• 27:28
  Speaker 2: you were leaning on in particular to sort of help
• 27:29
  Speaker 2: you through that rough patch, which has now seen you
• 27:31
  Speaker 2: blossom so well at the start of this spring?
• 27:34
  Speaker 3: Yeah, so.
• 27:35
  Speaker 5: a big one for me, um, was our batting coach
• 27:39
  Speaker 5: last year, Nick Larkin, um, who's recently moved over to
• 27:43
  Speaker 5: Perth to help the WA boys.
• 27:45
  Speaker 4: But, um, he was a big one for me during
• 27:47
  Speaker 4: that period.
• 27:48
  Speaker 5: Um, you know, I would still have hits with him, um,
• 27:51
  Speaker 5: in season and, um, sorry, also apologies.
• 27:54
  Speaker 4: There's some work going on next door.
• 27:55
  Speaker 5: So I'm not sure if you guys can hear that,
• 27:57
  Speaker 5: but it's, um, it's pretty loud in the back of
• 27:59
  Speaker 5: my ears at the moment. Um, But he was a
• 28:03
  Speaker 5: big one for me. He would always make time for
• 28:08
  Speaker 5: me to come hit balls. I would say my brother
• 28:11
  Speaker 5: a little bit, but it was a bit of a
• 28:13
  Speaker 5: weird one because I got dropped from the Shield team
• 28:17
  Speaker 5: and he debuted.
• 28:18
  Speaker 4: So he basically came in and took my spot.
• 28:21
  Speaker 5: He was basically just when that happened, he just went
• 28:24
  Speaker 5: straight through the roof and ended up, you know, obviously
• 28:26
  Speaker 5: playing T20 cricket for Australia and in the Australian ODI
• 28:30
  Speaker 5: squad recently.
• 28:32
  Speaker 4: And I was back playing grade cricket for Manly.
• 28:34
  Speaker 5: So whilst, you know, he's my, my brother and my
• 28:38
  Speaker 5: best mate, it probably wasn't the best person to lean
• 28:41
  Speaker 5: on because we were going in completely opposite directions.
• 28:45
  Speaker 4: Also just my, my dad as well. He's a big
• 28:47
  Speaker 4: fan and, he's always.
• 28:50
  Speaker 5: There to have a chat and nothing's ever too serious
• 28:53
  Speaker 5: or like, yeah, too aggressive, I guess, for him.
• 28:57
  Speaker 4: He just loves watching me.
• 28:59
  Speaker 5: Play cricket and doesn't care where I'm scoring runs, just
• 29:03
  Speaker 5: wants me to be happy and enjoying my cricket. So
• 29:07
  Speaker 5: I reckon probably my dad and Nick Clark are the
• 29:09
  Speaker 5: two big ones for me.
• 29:11
  Speaker 1: You mentioned your brother Joel Olley. I'm sure you were
• 29:14
  Speaker 1: very happy to see him make his debut for Australia
• 29:18
  Speaker 1: earlier this year, but I'm sure there was also a
• 29:19
  Speaker 1: part of you going, my little brother can't be playing
• 29:21
  Speaker 1: for Australia before me.
• 29:23
  Speaker 4: Oh, no.
• 29:28
  Speaker 1: No.
• 29:30
  Speaker 5: It's a weird one because obviously coming up, and hopefully
• 29:35
  Speaker 5: this doesn't sound arrogant by any means, but because I
• 29:38
  Speaker 5: was a few years older than Joel Olley, sort of
• 29:40
  Speaker 5: picked for you know like 17s New South Wales, 19s
• 29:44
  Speaker 5: New South Wales etc a little bit before him so
• 29:47
  Speaker 5: he was always sort of just like a little bit
• 29:49
  Speaker 5: behind me in terms of you know like he obviously
• 29:54
  Speaker 5: plays and goes for Australia under 19s but like I
• 29:57
  Speaker 5: was in New South Wales set up by then so
• 29:59
  Speaker 5: I think the expectation originally was that, you know, I'd
• 30:02
  Speaker 5: be playing some cricket before him for New South Wales
• 30:05
  Speaker 5: and whatnot. And then that happened and he had a
• 30:09
  Speaker 5: seriously good big bash year. And then before you knew it,
• 30:12
  Speaker 5: he was playing for Australia and he's playing some of
• 30:16
  Speaker 5: the best cricket I've ever seen him play. And he's been,
• 30:19
  Speaker 5: you know, put so much time into his left arm
• 30:22
  Speaker 5: off spin that, It's helping him get picked in the
• 30:25
  Speaker 5: teams just because he's an all-round player, gun in the field,
• 30:29
  Speaker 5: gun bat. But no, I was absolutely stoked for him.
• 30:33
  Speaker 5: We were watching all at home that first T20 he
• 30:37
  Speaker 5: played for Bangladesh where he got his wicket second ball.
• 30:40
  Speaker 5: I think it was a slog sweep out to deep
• 30:43
  Speaker 5: mid-wicket and the whole house was almost coming down because
• 30:46
  Speaker 5: we were going absolutely crazy. So I, you know, obviously...
• 30:51
  Speaker 5: And I'd love to be in that position sometime soon.
• 30:53
  Speaker 5: But I feel like me personally, I'm his biggest supporter.
• 30:57
  Speaker 5: So I was obviously stoked for him.
• 31:00
  Speaker 4: Very, very happy.
• 31:04
  Speaker 2: Ollie, just speaking as well back to your form, opening
• 31:07
  Speaker 2: the batting has been something that, you know, I think
• 31:09
  Speaker 2: you'll be doing it next week for your.
• 31:11
  Speaker 3: Next shield game.
• 31:12
  Speaker 2: But what's this look like for you, I guess, going
• 31:14
  Speaker 2: forward heading into the Big Bash as well? It's a
• 31:16
  Speaker 2: point of difference that suddenly has come onto the table
• 31:19
  Speaker 2: for you there. Surely it would give you confidence that
• 31:22
  Speaker 2: the way that you were striking the ball against Tasmania
• 31:24
  Speaker 2: only last week. It must be very exciting now that
• 31:27
  Speaker 2: you've got this string to your bow heading into a
• 31:29
  Speaker 2: pretty big summer of cricket here in Australia.
• 31:30
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 31:32
  Speaker 5: Yeah, well, yeah, I guess for me, like Big Bash cricket,
• 31:35
  Speaker 5: I was saying it to, I guess, the the thunder
• 31:39
  Speaker 5: the whole time I was with them was that, you know,
• 31:41
  Speaker 5: my ideal position, I feel like personally in big bash
• 31:44
  Speaker 5: cricket is opening the batting and something that I wanted
• 31:47
  Speaker 5: to do. And hopefully this year with the sixes, I'll
• 31:50
  Speaker 5: get an opportunity to do that. I was batting, yeah,
• 31:54
  Speaker 5: consistently basically four through to six for white ball teams
• 31:57
  Speaker 5: and red ball teams. So yeah, it definitely is a
• 32:01
  Speaker 5: point of difference. And for me, like the biggest thing
• 32:04
  Speaker 5: opening the batting is like, you know, if a bowl
• 32:07
  Speaker 5: of balls, a bad ball, I want to try and
• 32:09
  Speaker 5: hit it for four and, That's basically how I've played
• 32:12
  Speaker 5: my cricket growing up and it allows me to put
• 32:15
  Speaker 5: a bit of pressure back onto the bowler. I guess
• 32:18
  Speaker 5: that's my point of difference. The batting is that while
• 32:21
  Speaker 5: some people might take a bit of time to get
• 32:24
  Speaker 5: in and be 20 off 50, I guess I see
• 32:27
  Speaker 5: an opportunity to be 50 off 50 with the field
• 32:30
  Speaker 5: up and get the scoreboard moving and the game moving forward,
• 32:33
  Speaker 5: which is something that I think adds a nice touch
• 32:38
  Speaker 5: to the teams I'm playing with.
• 32:41
  Speaker 1: Moving across to the Sixers for this Big Bash. So
• 32:43
  Speaker 1: you're going to be joining your brother Joel. Do you
• 32:46
  Speaker 1: enjoy playing with him or against him more?
• 32:49
  Speaker 5: No, I definitely, definitely enjoy playing with him more. I
• 32:53
  Speaker 5: think we played one game a few years ago when
• 32:55
  Speaker 5: he just moved to the Sixers and he was bowing
• 32:58
  Speaker 5: to me and I was shit scared of getting out
• 33:01
  Speaker 5: to him. And there was also part of me that
• 33:04
  Speaker 5: was like, I also don't want to smack him either because,
• 33:07
  Speaker 5: you know, if I hit him around the park, he
• 33:09
  Speaker 5: might get dropped.
• 33:11
  Speaker 4: So it was a bit of sweet, I guess.
• 33:14
  Speaker 5: Whereas if we're playing on the same team, then I'm
• 33:16
  Speaker 5: obviously just supporting him the whole time and hoping for
• 33:20
  Speaker 5: him to do the best.
• 33:21
  Speaker 4: So I'm really looking forward.
• 33:23
  Speaker 5: That was a big reason for me to move across
• 33:25
  Speaker 5: to the Sixers was to.
• 33:26
  Speaker 4: Play with Joel.
• 33:28
  Speaker 5: We played a couple of games together at the Thunder,
• 33:30
  Speaker 5: but hopefully we might get a full season together at
• 33:32
  Speaker 5: the Sixers this year.
• 33:34
  Speaker 1: We look forward to seeing you play together for the Sixers,
• 33:36
  Speaker 1: indeed for New South Wales, maybe even together for Australia. Ollie,
• 33:40
  Speaker 1: thanks so much for joining us. Good luck for the
• 33:42
  Speaker 1: rest of the season and congratulations again on a great innings.
• 33:46
  Speaker 4: All right, thanks for having me, guys. I really appreciate it.