Cummins named NSW captain, pacer to get first taste of leadership

Sydney [Australia], February 10 : Cricket New South Wales on Wednesday named pacer Pat Cummins as the captain for the Marsh One Day Cup while former Test wicketkeeper Peter Nevill will focus on leading the NSW Sheffield Shield team.
27-year-old Cummins will skipper the Blues in the opening round match of the domestic One Day tournament against Victoria at North Sydney Oval on Monday, February 15, after Cricket NSW identified it as an opportunity for him to develop his leadership and captaincy skills.
"Pat is a highly respected person throughout Australian cricket, and he knows the values NSW cricket and the Blues hold dearly," said NSW coach Phil Jaques.
"We have no doubt he'll prove to be a fantastic leader and I know he will also be a great role model for all Blues players. Captaining NSW in these matches is a really good opportunity for Pat to not only demonstrate how good a leader he is, but it's a chance to show he also has the tactical nous to be a really good captain," he added.
Cummins will lead a strong squad that features a host of internationals including Steve Smith and Nathan Lyon, Big Bash League championship-winning Sydney Sixers' Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Moises Henriques, and Daniel Hughes, while Harry Conway (Adelaide Strikers), Liam Hatcher (Melbourne Stars) and Kurtis Patterson (Perth Scorchers) have also been selected.
Sydney Thunder's dynamic 20-year-old rookie Oliver 'Ollie' Davies - who struck five consecutive sixes against the Melbourne Renegades - will join his Thunder teammate, and wicketkeeper, Matthew Gilkes in the 13-man squad.
Jaques said Australian fast bowlers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood weren't named in the state's One Day squad due to heavy workloads in the Sheffield Shield.
"It's simply to do with managing our fast bowlers," said Jaques of the omissions. "We have a very hectic first three Sheffield Shield and One Day matches, so we have had to devise individual plans for them because it's a lot of games in a short period of time."
NSW will play Victoria in the fourth round of the Sheffield Shield competition from February 17-20 at the Sydney Cricket Ground, with Nevill captaining a strong squad which includes leading Test batsman Steve Smith, strike bowlers Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, and Australian cricket's spin bowling wizard, Nathan Lyon.
Cricket Australia announced a reconfigured Sheffield Shield and One Day Cup schedule on Tuesday in recognition of the extra requirements and responsibilities placed upon players, officials, and staff on account of the coronavirus pandemic and related bio-security protocols.
It shortens the Marsh One-Day Cup to five rounds to culminate with the Final on 11 April rather than April 30 and reduces the Shield by one round.
NSW Marsh Cup squad vs Victoria: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Harry Conway, Oliver Davies, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Liam Hatcher, Matthew Gilkes, Moises Henriques, Daniel Hughes, Nathan Lyon, Kurtis Patterson, Steve Smith.
NSW Sheffield Shield squad vs Victoria: Peter Nevill (c), Sean Abbott, Harry Conway, Trent Copeland, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Daniel Hughes, Nick Larkin, Nathan Lyon, Kurtis Patterson, Steve Smith, Daniel Solway, Mitchell Starc.