Test Recall? Konstas smashes 149 | 03:43
Tim Miller from Fox SportsOctober 25th, 2026 2:23 pm
Disgruntled rival Australian states used to joke that players selected for New South Wales have been also given a saggy green cap to go with their new saggy blue.
It’s not a perception backed up by proof – simply four of Australia’s final 29 Test debutants, courting back to December 2014, have been from NSW.
But in the coming months, that saying might effectively come back into vogue.
With Australia’s much-maligned top order spluttering to the point of mandating change halfway by their sequence in opposition to South Africa, there has never been a better time for wannabe Test hopefuls to start plundering runs in the Sheffield Shield.
And two rounds in, one state particularly has taken up that gauntlet.
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The Blues sit fourth on the Shield desk as considered one of only two winless teams alongside Victoria, having drawn clashes with Tasmania (at residence) and Western Australia (away).
But on a person stage, an eye-watering glut of runs has seen a bunch of contenders emerge as bona fide candidates should the likes of Marnus Labuschagne, Beau Webster and Blues Shield captain Nic Maddinson run out of chances for a four-Test residence summer season in opposition to New Zealand.
And most crucially of all, they’ve are available in a fashion that will delight Australian selectors: in the top order.
“I believe it’s a great signal,” former NSW captain and Australian Test all-rounder Moises Henriques told foxsports.com.au of his former teammates’ strong start.
“It’s nice to see batters across the country getting some massive scores on the board, and showing what the batting depth across Australia is actually like.
“I really feel like the final three or four years has most likely not really actually represented how strong the batting depth is in Australia.”
“There’s some actually promising indicators there across the board.”
Three of the top five run-scorers for the season are the Blues top three.
Ollie Davies tops the charts with 315 runs in three innings, having backed up a rare 253 in opposition to Tasmania at more than run-a-ball pace with a half-century at the WACA.
It’s been an prompt vindication of a transfer to open the batting inspired by coach Brad Haddin, less than a yr after being dumped from the state crew after a run of poor scores.
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Extraordinarily, he’s already more than midway to Peter Handscomb’s Shield-leading 724-run marketing campaign in 2025/26.
Whereas in his infancy as a red-ball opener, Henriques likes what he sees – and may see similarities to considered one of Australia’s greatest ever at the top of the order.
“Davey Warner never opened the batting in his career until he began enjoying T20 cricket,” he said.
“I performed junior cricket with Davey and he batted four, five and six. It wasn’t until T20 cricket was introduced that he began opening the batting and showing what he may do at the top of the order.
Ollie Davies’ beautiful Shield revival | 11:54
“He was most likely in his early 20s earlier than he moved up to open the batting in the longer form.
“We know Ollie’s an identical model when it comes to liking to maintain the scoreboard moving. His most important focus is making an attempt to attain runs and making an attempt to put the strain back on the bowler.
“As long as Ollie’s considering positively and interested by how he’s going to attain runs, who knows? He’s such a gifted participant.
“It’ll be a matter of consistency and with the ability to do it as typically as somebody like Davey did.”
In third, from just one sport, is fellow opener Sam Konstas, who also has a ‘daddy hundred’ to his identify – an unbeaten 151 off simply 167 balls in the second innings at the WACA to open the door for a victory push.
Added to a primary innings 71, and a century in the One-Day Cup sport at the similar venue simply days later, and the prodigy who burst onto the scene in opposition to India on Boxing Day 2024 is making a compelling case for a recall.
Konstas makes unbeaten 151 | 02:06
Fifth sits Kurtis Patterson, an older head at first drop for the Blues and one whose Test credentials have already been effectively established.
Back in early 2019, he scored an unbeaten century in opposition to Sri Lanka which provides him a present Test average of 144.
A minor injury concern scuppered his probabilities of being known as into the Test squad as injury cover for Josh Inglis and Cameron Green in South Africa, an opportunity that opened the door for Maddinson’s shock return.
But with 50s in four of his six innings across codecs up to now in 2026/27, including a measured half-century for the Cricket Australia XI in opposition to Bangladesh in August and 122 in opposition to the Warriors, he’s a worthy contender for the Test No.3 spot as the strain continues to grow on Labuschagne.
And Henriques couldn’t be extra in favour of the 33-year old deserving one other go at the highest stage.
“I’m sure Kurtis had some solutions as to why he wasn’t considered for these Test matches,” he told foxsports.com.au.
“And then to come back out and score 100 in only his second or third hit after being ignored, I believe it shows how keen he’s to throw one other alternative at Test cricket.
“You’ll be able to never predict somebody’s going to do effectively, but I don’t suppose anyone would deserve one other crack more than he does in Australian cricket at the moment.”
With rising all-rounder Jack Edwards sitting ninth and likewise with a ton to his identify – in the same innings as Davies’ double century in opposition to Tasmania – it has been a long time since a single state had so many Test candidates in such a rich vein of form.
Patterson sends selection reminder | 02:10
Making it doable are the early indicators that Cricket Australia’s pleas have been heeded by the nation’s curators.
After final yr’s bowler-dominated Shield season, as well as two Ashes Checks lasting simply two days on juiced-up pitches in Perth and Melbourne, ground employees have been urged to, if doable, produce batter-friendly wickets.
“What we’ve said is if you’re erring on which side of the line to roll on, then make it flatter, possibly slightly less grass, as a result of the game has advanced over time,” CA chief govt Todd Greenberg said in Durban earlier this month.
In 31 matches final summer season, there have been 34 accomplished innings of fewer than 200 runs, with simply 9 scores in excess of 400.
Already this summer season, there have been four 400+ scores, two in excess of 500 – two from the Blues, and one each from South Australia and Tasmania.
And simply one of the six matches up to now hasn’t made it to a fourth day.
“Particularly in Australia, we’ve had so many results over the past three or four years when it comes to wins and losses, which is nice – but loads of them are coming inside two and a half days, three days,” Henriques says of the change.
“I don’t suppose it’s a real illustration of what you get at the subsequent stage in Test cricket.
“So it’s good to see that video games are going longer, extra runs are being scored, and the wickets are most likely, I might suggest possibly trying just a little much like what Test wickets kind of seem like at the stage above that kind of home stage.
It’s a shift in the direction of batting that Henriques backs wholeheartedly, and thinks has been urgently wanted for several years.
“There’s no doubt that they’re making an attempt to promote batters spending time at the crease,” the previous NSW captain said.
“And bowlers, after three or four years of circumstances favouring medium pace bowling, possibly (facing) some circumstances the place it’s not quite as bowler-friendly and bowlers will have to possibly probably work just a little bit harder to get their rewards.
“That’s kind of the way it works – there’s swings and roundabouts.”
Test batting options in Sheffield Shield | 01:24
For Henriques, the transfer in the direction of extra batter-friendly circumstances at Shield stage is an important reminder that for all of the hand-wringing about Australian cricket’s lack of batting depth, the solutions are extra complicated than simply an absence of talent.
“Anyone who’s performed first-class cricket or been involved in it from a training perspective over the past three or four years, there’s loads of bowlers that are averaging 20 or less, and loads of batters averaging so much lower than they historically would,” he told foxsports.com.au.
“I believe that says so much in regards to the circumstances and the way this season has began up to now.”
Nonetheless, Henriques is conscious it received’t change a lot except Shield circumstances are replicated at Test stage, the place runs in latest summers have been difficult to come back by for each Australia and visiting teams alike.
“Unless all of the bowlers have gotten worse in three months and all of the batters have gotten so much higher, you’d suggest it is likely to be conditions-related versus unexpectedly discovering the secret answer to our batting woes and our bowlers have out of the blue gotten worse,” he said.
“I believe it’s a nice reminder of how a lot the circumstances do play a part in bowling averages and batting averages.”
A shortened Test summer season that includes the equal-lowest amount of matches (four) of any Australian residence swing in the twenty first century only provides to the opportunity for Konstas, Davies, Patterson and anyone else striving to make their case at Shield stage.
It means each state will play four extra matches earlier than the first ball is bowled in opposition to the Black Caps at Optus Stadium on December 9.
That’s eight extra alternatives to stake a declare in red-ball cricket.
And for Davies, a continued form surge would, Test debut or not, see him pass each run-scorer from the 2025/26 season earlier than Christmas.
Labuschagne facing axe in Aus Test side | 01:25
Source: www.foxsports.com.au
