Question of the Day: NSW, can we have some more batsman please?

One of the oldest quips in the Australian Cricketing lexicon is that whenever a player gets handed a Blue cap on debut for NSW, they get given a Baggy Green cap along with it.

While there have been more than a few NSW players to have gained National selection without much basis in the past, it is hardly true today.

Not naming names.

Indeed, NSW seems to be THE place to produce International standard cricketers these days.  A glance at the Australian team that took the field for the last Test in Adelaide shows that 5 of the team are from NSW, while another (Shane Watson) has moved there - seemingly in an effort to improve.

A quick look around the Sheffield Shield competition shows that there are NSW players plying their trades in other states all over the country as it is too hard for them to get a game at home.  Even in the parochial (and great) State of Victoria there are 3 New South Welshman in the team (Dan Christian, Chris Tremain and John Hastings), not to mention the Western Australians (Chris Rogers and Marcus Stoinis), Tasmanian (Matthew Wade, the Captain) and Pakistani (Fawad Ahmed).

More telling about the 5 New South Welshman who played in the last Australian team, only 1 was a bowler; Nathan Lyon (who was Man of the Match).

Injuries from the match have opened the door to more NSW players to play for Australia, with Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc likely replacements for Peter Siddle and Ryan Harris.  This would mean that there would be 7 NSW players in the side.

This number, 7, is unlikely to be attained though as Captain Michael Clarke is not going to play again in the series (if at all).  His likely replacement will be Shaun Marsh, who as been unable to cement a spot in the Australian side for four years, such is the derth of batting talent demanding selection in Australia.

Cheers, Shaun.

Looking around the Sheffield Shield competition for likely Batting candidates, the top contender would have to be Ed Cowan, a New South Welshman who had to move to Tasmania to get a game as the batting depth in his home state was too deep.

The main issue here is that Cowan is an opener, so more of a natural replacement for the out-of-touch Chris Rogers. This will mean there will be another New South Welshman in the team, but it doesn't give too much confidence around batsman who can come in.

And so pride must be swallowed and the call must go out: "Please NSW, can we have some more batsman?"