Days after Tony Dodemaide said incumbency would not determine the Ashes squad, Sean Abbott issued a timely reminder to the national selector.
New South Wales pace bowler Sean Abbott has all but cemented his spot in Australia’s Ashes squad with a damaging spell at Drummoyne Oval on Wednesday, claiming six wickets to rattle Victoria’s top-order.
Abbott and his Blues teammates have been patiently waiting for the return of Sheffield Shield cricket, with the Covid-19 outbreak extending their pre-season deep into the Spring months.
But days after Tony Dodemaide stressed that incumbency would not determine the Ashes squad, Abbott issued a timely reminder to the newly-appointed Australian selector.
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The 29-year-old snared his first breakthrough in the third over of his Sheffield Shield return, coming around the wicket to fellow Ashes hopeful Marcus Harris and finding the left-hander’s outside edge.
Victorian captain Peter Handscomb then combined with opening batter James Seymour for a patient 47-run partnership before a monumental brain fade in the 29th over.
Handscomb made his way back to the pavilion after recklessly attacking a length delivery from Abbott that crashed into the stumps.
The Blues speeder then removed Seymour and Matt Short on either side of the lunch break as the Victorians lost 3/5 in a disastrous passage of play.
Abbott returned in the evening session to take another two scalps and finish with the imposing figures of 6/38 from 15.4 overs, the fifth five-wicket haul of his first-class career.
“I’ll be honest, I was very nervous today,” he told reporters at stumps. “Coming out, I didn’t know where the first ball was going to go.
“It’s an Ashes summer … I’d lie if I said I wasn’t thinking about it, but we’ve only ever really got what’s in front of us, which is the first day of a Shield game.
“I’m not looking too far ahead … I’m just trying to stay focused. There’s plenty of wickets still to take before I start to think about getting a Baggy Green.”
Victoria was ultimately bowled out for 199, a total that could have been considerably weaker if not for a classy 87 from Nic Maddinson.
Abbott has taken 27 wickets at 24.07 in first-class cricket since September last year, and national selectors rewarded the paceman’s impressive form by including him in Australia’s squad for the postponed Test series against South Africa.
The shock retirement of Victorian quick James Pattinson has elevated Abbott slightly up the pecking order, but Mark Steketee and Michael Neser will also be vying for spots in the Ashes squad.
However, family commitments could tarnish Abbott’s childhood dream – his partner is due to give birth to their first child on Christmas Eve, and the aspiring Test cricketer would not hesitate if he was faced with choosing between a Baggy Green or his baby.
“It’s a bloody tough one, especially considering the safety concerns around Covid and borders,” Abbott told The Sydney Morning Herald.
“It’s certainly something I’ll have to keep a close eye on and play well enough to get selected. Should that happen I have to make sure I’m back in Sydney late December for the birth of my baby girl.
“We’ll just have to manage that as best I can and if that means maybe missing some time with the Test squad and an Ashes series then so be it. Hopefully, we get lucky and things work out.”
If the stars align and Abbott is chosen for a Test debut this summer, his batting could prove a valuable asset for Tim Paine’s side.
Abbott averaged 63.33 in the Sheffield Shield last summer, scoring six fifties and a century in eight first-class matches.
He was the second-highest run-scorer for New South Wales with 570 runs at a strike rate of 67.29.
And Abbott’s purple patch with the bat looks set to continue this summer — he compiled a masterful 154 earlier in last week’s intra-squad match at Hurstville Oval.
“He’s an amazing cricketer,” Blues captain Kurtis Patterson told reporters on Tuesday morning. “He’s just getting better every year.
“He had his breakout season last year with the bat. It’s something we’ve all seen how hard he’s worked on for a few years, but he probably just couldn’t crack it until last year.
“He’s just a fantastic cricketer in all forms; he’s a top-five fielder in the country as well.
“His bowling has been Test quality for at least two or three years now … he’s also one of the most competitive guys I know.”
Meanwhile, teenage leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha impressed on Sheffield Shield debut, claiming three wickets in the afternoon session at Drummoyne Oval.
Sangha was not introduced into the attack until the 47th over, but made up for lost time by snaring two crucial scalps in his opening four overs of the day.
New South Wales is 2/43 at stumps on day one, with Patterson unbeaten on eight overnight.
Originally published as Ashes hopeful Sean Abbott demolishes Victoria’s top-order in Sheffield Shield return
