West Australian opener Cameron Bancroft has been ruled out of this week’s Sheffield Shield final at the WACA after sustaining a concussion following a cycling accident.
The 31-year-old’s season ended prematurely after he fell off his bike and hit his head over the weekend, forcing Western Australia to pick a new opening partnership for the season finale against Tasmania.
Rising star Teague Wyllie is the leading candidate to partner captain Sam Whiteman at the top of the order, while D’Arcy Short is also an option.
Bancroft was the second-leading run-scorer of the Sheffield Shield this season with 778 runs at 48.62, including three hundreds and four fifties.
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Meanwhile, West Australian all-rounder Aaron Hardie has been cleared to bowl in the final after recovering from a calf strain that ruled him out of last month’s T20 tour of New Zealand.
Earlier this week, Cricket Australia withdrew the 25-year-old from his planned County Championship stint with Surrey to manage his workload.
Australian representatives Mitch Marsh, Cameron Green, Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Turner and Jhye Richardson won’t be available for the Sheffield Shield final due to IPL commitments, while Lance Morris is still recovering from a side strain he suffered during last month’s ODI series against the West Indies.
“We knew a long way out that Cricket Australia were going to allow the guys to go to the IPL and forego the Shield final … it is what it is,” West Australian coach Adam Voges said.
“Mitch hasn’t played all year, Greeny’s played a couple of games and played an important role when he has played, but for the majority, the guys who will be playing in the final are the ones who have got us here, so that’s an exciting opportunity for them.”
If Western Australia defeat Tasmania in Perth this week, they’ll become the first team in history to win three consecutive Sheffield Shield and one-day cup titles simultaneously.
The Sheffield Shield final gets underway at the WACA on Thursday at 1pm AEDT.
West Australian squad for Sheffield Shield final
Sam Whiteman (c)
Ashton Agar
Hilton Cartwright
Cooper Connolly
Cameron Gannon
Jayden Goodwin
Aaron Hardie
Liam Haskett
Josh Inglis
Joel Paris
Corey Rocchiccioli
D’Arcy Short
Charlie Stobo
Teague Wyllie
Source Agencies
