Bullish Victoria out to spoil WA’s tilt at back-to-back titles

“I thought we were staring down the barrel of a wooden spoon,” Rogers stated final week.

Victoria’s season was successfully on the road having misplaced two straight matches after drawing the primary three. Last season’s finalists had slumped towards NSW of their second innings to six for 131, a lead of simply 57, resulting in a glum Rogers fearing the worst.

Four subsequent wins for the reason that season’s resumption has powered a youthful Victoria right into a rematch of final 12 months’s decider with defending champions Western Australia on the WACA beginning on Thursday.

While Rogers had began to lose hope, Victoria’s gamers all the time maintained they weren’t far-off from a change of fortune.

“The signs were there. Just those little moments we couldn’t get over the line earlier in the season. We’re finally winning those clutch moments.”

Having solely lately returned from India, Handscomb has walked right into a extremely assured squad feeling bullish about their probabilities of ending WA’s bid for a second straight treble of home titles.

“Generally speaking, as a Victorian team we have always had a bit of confidence and these young guys coming through are not short of confidence either,” he stated. “It’s good just rolling back in, I haven’t had to say too much. These guys are just running their show.”

Handscomb and Murphy create choice complications

Handscomb is about to interchange both veteran opener Travis Dean or rising batter Ashley Chandrasinghe.

Holland has taken 12 wickets at 28.75 in seven matches this season, together with 3 for 15 in WA’s first innings of 122 final week.

Murphy seems prone to get the nod however has by no means performed on the pace-friendly WACA, a floor famend for being uncompromising for spinners.

“Todd Murphy hadn’t played a game in India either and he still got picked and did well there,” Handscomb stated. “We are not fussed about whether guys have played here or not. We have a lot of talent in the squad.

“Whoever misses out who has been taking part in … it should be robust.”

Amid particularly spicy conditions, marked by a green-tinged pitch, only two of the five matches at the WACA this season have reached day four and both those games wrapped up before lunch.

WA set to unleash Lance Morris

Having been overlooked for selection in India, Morris has not played since the BBL in late January with his last red-ball match being against Queensland in early December.

“I had the enjoyment of dealing with [Morris] within the nets yesterday and received by unscathed,” Whiteman said. “He’s bowling quick and after a month of bowling within the nets he is raring to go.”

While Handscomb admitted that spoiling WA’s golden run was “further motivation”, Whiteman preferred playing by the organisation’s playbook of not giving away too much publicly.

“There’s positively no speak of successful all three titles this season,” he said. “I do not assume there are any inner pressures. We’ve performed actually good cricket this 12 months and earned the appropriate to play at house.

“They have a full head of steam. It’s going to be a bloody good game.”