IT is almost time to kick off the 2022/23 season of the Marsh One-Day Cup, with the first game scheduled for September 23. Fresh off a thrilling final in March, the competition is set for another cracking campaign, as each state’s best cricket talents battle it out in the 50-over format.

With that in mind, Rookie Me Central will be taking a look at each side’s prospects for the season, and the first cab off the ranks is Victoria. After finishing bottom in 2021/22, the Vics will be looking to climb the rankings.

Victoria
2021/22 record: 1-4-1

Victoria was only able to conjure one win last season, and finished at the bottom of the table with plenty of room for improvement. When their season kicked off in November, there was plenty of hope as the side donned the navy blue looking to continue the club’s decorated history and had an extremely talented roster at times.

As is the case with all Marsh Cup sides, Victoria had to deal with the impact of international duties for a number of its players. However, the team really struggled to get to a winning total, often unable to get past 150 runs per match.

Victoria’s biggest enemy on so many occasions were batting collapses, with the top-end often leaving too much work for the middle order on the scoreboard. In all four of their losses, the entire batting order was bowled out well before 50 overs, and struggled to get enough runs on the board to produce a defendable total.

As a result of its disappointing performance at the crease, there was far too much pressure on the bowling attack to perform, and it often conceded far too many runs. Improvement in both facets of the game is required if Victoria is to make the leap into finals.

One of the positives to come out of the 2021/22 campaign was the performance of fast-medium bowler Cameron McClure, who showed a real ability to pressure the opposition batsmen and draw an edge or find the stumps. The club will be hopeful his improvement continues into this season, with the 20-year-old one of the most promising young bowlers in the country.

At the crease, the club will be hoping the concussion issues stop for promising young batsman Will Pucovski. The 24-year-old has had one of the best starts to first-class cricket in recent memory, but has been dealt a tough hand with a number of head knocks causing the youngster to miss a considerable amount of time.

If Pucovski can stay on the field, we all know what he is capable of, having announced himself as a hard-hitting and composed force at the crease, and if he can take the field for Victoria, it will be a massive boost for the club’s batting order.

Victoria Contract List 2022/23

Scott Boland
Ashley Chandrasinghe
Brody Couch
Travis Dean
Sam Elliott
Zak Evans
Aaron Finch
Jake Fraser-McGurk
Sam Harper
Marcus Harris
Mackenzie Harvey
Jon Holland
Campbell Kellaway
Nic Maddinson
Cameron McClure
Glenn Maxwell
Jono Merlo
Todd Murphy
Tom O’Connell
Fergus O’Neill
Wil Parker
James Pattinson
Mitchell Perry
Will Pucovski
Matt Short
Will Sutherland