Victoria has named a 13-player squad for its opening Marsh Sheffield Shield match against Western Australia, starting on Wednesday. The clash will be a rematch of the last two Shield Finals as the squad travels to Perth to play at the WACA. Will Sutherland will lead the side after being named as the Marsh Sheffield […]
Victoria has named a 13-player squad for its opening Marsh Sheffield Shield match against Western Australia, starting on Wednesday.
The clash will be a rematch of the last two Shield Finals as the squad travels to Perth to play at the WACA.
Will Sutherland will lead the side after being named as the Marsh Sheffield Shield captain last month, while being supported by Marsh One-Day Cup skipper Peter Handscomb.
Will Pucovski has been named in the squad after recovering from a broken thumb, while Peter Siddle also makes the trip west following a successful return through the Victorian 2nd XI last week.
Tom Rogers is a chance to make his First-Class debut after a solid start to the season, hitting 45 and 38 in Victoria's Marsh One-Day Cup clash against Tasmania and NSW.
Marcus Harris will remain in Victoria following the birth of his son last week, while Matt Short was not available due to Australian commitments.
"After making two Marsh Sheffield Shield finals over the past couple of years, we are excited to get the red-ball season underway and build on a strong pre-season campaign," Cricket Victoria's Head of Male Cricket, David Hussey said.
"Coming off the back of two victories in the Marsh One-Day Cup, we feel we have a well-balanced squad to take to Western Australia.
"We're excited for Will Sutherland to lead the side as the official Shield captain after he was appointed last month, and this is the natural next step for him in his career.
"We're also thrilled to welcome Will Pucovski and Peter Siddle into the squad. It is fantastic to have Peter travelling with the group following his return from Tasmania, while it is great to see Will back around the squad.
"We'll miss Marcus Harris but family always comes first and we fully support his decision to stay home with his wife and child following the birth of his son last week.
Squad:
Will Sutherland (c) (Prahran)
Peter Handscomb (St Kilda)
Scott Boland (Frankston-Peninsula)
Travis Dean (Footscray)
Sam Harper (Melbourne)
Campbell Kellaway (Melbourne)
Jon Merlo (St Kilda)
Todd Murphy (St Kilda)
Fergus O'Neill (Melbourne)
Mitch Perry (Richmond)
Will Pucovski (Melbourne)
Tom Rogers (Ringwood)
Peter Siddle (Dandenong)
Marsh Sheffield Shield
Western Australia vs Victoria
October 4-7, 1.30pm AEDT
WACA, Perth
Coverage: Fox Cricket & Kayo Sports
