South Australia's loss to Victoria on Sunday - a result that now places them bottom of the Sheffield Shield table - wasn't the only bitter taste their front-line quick would've been experiencing. Figures of 0/85 and 0/50 off a combined 42 overs are rare numbers for swing-king Chadd Sayers as he failed to have an impact in his first domestic game in over two months The introduction of the Duke ball for the back half of the competition, implemented for it's third season, had previously been an added advantage for Sayers in past years. His ability to swing the ball has been a major strength against batsmen at state level, however over the weekend he struggled to obtain the upper hand.
Sayers hasn't had a wicket-less match since March 2017 - where he only bowled 20 overs against NSW, all in the first innings. Previous to that, you have to go all the way back to November 2014 against Victoria. With Jackson Bird injuring his right hamstring during Tasmania's Shied game on Sunday, a spot has opened up for Sayers in the Australian touring party for South Africa. But will his slide in form cost him a baggy green? Australian Coach, Darren Lehmann, says Chadd is still the next man in line to replace the injured Bird. "The logical (replacement) is probably Chadd Sayers, but we'll sit as a selection panel and work that out," Lehmann said yesterday. "Jackson is the incumbent at the moment ... Chadd has been very unlucky. If we have an injury to one of our bowlers, he'll probably come into the touring party." Lehmann also quoted on FIVEaa in January. Bird has taken 26 wickets in the JLT Sheffield Shield from 5 rounds, while Sayers had only taken 18 from the same number of matches. A statement with the ball over the weekend would have made Sayers a sure replacement. However a wicket-less performance only leaves the door ajar for other candidates, if the selection panel decides to look for an in-form bowler. And with Sayers not being apart of the BBL, his form at state level had evidently taken a hit over the break. Despite producing a gem every now and then, his consistency wasn't there. And when the ball was thrown to him at crucial times of the game, the trusting swinging Sayers of old was absent. It's easy to jump at shadows, but after observing 42 overs of luckless bowling, it only generated an uneasy feeling. He deserves a position in the Australian Test lineup more than anyone after what he has produced over the last two and a half Shield seasons (111 wickets @ 26.26), but after being overlooked on many occasions previous, one can only hope that his timing for a scratchy performance hasn't ruined his hopes of finally earning that elusive baggy cap.
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Sam TugwellSports Commentator, Archives
March 2019
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