Epic Shield triumph exposes Aussie cricket’s growing elephant in the room

New South Wales cricket’s failure to retain talent has once again been thrust into the spotlight after South Australia successfully defended its Sheffield Shield title to become back-to-back champions.

The South Australians sealed a remarkable comeback victory in the topsy-turvy Sheffield Shield final after rolling Victoria for 139 at Junction Oval on Monday, winning consecutive titles for the first time in the state’s history.

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Fast bowlers Nathan McAndrew, Liam Scott and Henry Thornton did the bulk of the damage in the fourth innings, each taking three wickets as Victoria suffered a dreadful collapse of 7-37.

The trio started their respective careers in Sydney grade cricket before migrating to South Australia, along with teammates Jason Sangha, Ben Manenti and Henry Hunt.

And it didn’t go unnoticed that more than half of the triumphant Sheffield Shield side was comprised of players that New South Wales let slip through its fingers.

NSW Products in South Australia’s Sheffield Shield XI

Ben Manenti — Sydney Cricket Club

Nathan McAndrew — Bankstown District Cricket Club

Henry Hunt — Eastern Suburbs

Jason Sangha — Randwick Petersham

Liam Scott — Sydney Cricket Club

Henry Thornton — Randwick Petersham, Eastern Suburbs

The Blues were once the Sheffield Shield’s perennial powerhouse with a record 47 titles, the most recent coming in 2020 when the final was abandoned due to Covid-19 restrictions.

However, New South Wales has not qualified for a Sheffield Shield decider in five years and failed to register a victory in the 2022/23 season, during which coach Phil Jaques was

sacked. At one stage, the Blues went 15 consecutive matches without registering a win, an unwanted state record.

Jaques’ replacement, veteran coach Greg Shipperd, was stood down earlier this month despite helping the NSW win a One-Day Cup title, replaced by former Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin.

Identifying the right players to pursue has proven a challenge for the Blues, with Cricket NSW at times accused of prioritising young players from their elite pathways rather than established grade cricketers. A few years ago, former Blues fast bowler Stuart Clark accused Cricket NSW of being “fascinated with picking 19-year-olds and not those who have earned the right to play”.

McAndrew made his Blues debut in 2019 before migrating to South Australia in 2021. No cricketer has taken more Sheffield Shield wickets than him since the switch.

“When I was at grade cricket level, aspiring to play for New South Wales, I put so much pressure on myself that every performance,” McAndrew said on Monday.

“I had to take a five-for every week because then maybe I’d get an opportunity or get on contract.

“You’re just always looking to that next level and ignoring the process, ignoring the day-to-day battles you’ve got to win.”

McAndrew and Sangha headline a cluster of former Blues players who jumped ship and travelled interstate to pursue other opportunities, along with Queensland’s Hayden Kerr and Victoria’s Blake MacDonald. Tasmania seamer Nathan Ellis, who has become a regular member of Australia’s white-ball teams, also started his career in Sydney.

Multiple of New South Wales’ best players have been unavailable for state cricket due to international commitments, including Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood and Adam Zampa.

However, of the 24 Australian cricketers who have made their men’s Test debut since the start of 2017, only two were Blues players — Kurtis Patterson and Sam Konstas.

Speaking to reporters earlier this month, Haddin declared that one of his primary objectives as NSW coach would be preparing Australia’s next generation of cricket stars for the international stage.

“I’m under no illusions that I’ve got to start to produce some Australian players,” he said.

“One of the key things, I think from my point of view, I’ve got to start to find some players ready to play for Australia.

“There’s going to be retirements over the next few years and we need the next guys stepping up to be NSW players.

“I want to tap into some of this talent and make sure that that’s the goal for everyone.

“My goal is to get as many players as I can playing for Australia.”

He continued: “I think the one thing we’ve always done here at New South Wales is we hold high standards. We expect a lot from not only our staff and our organisation but our players as well. I’m going to be no different with that.

“I’m going to expect a lot from this group.”

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