Baggy Green bat-off: How the hopefuls fared

Coach Justin Langer has declared open season on batting spots in Australia’s Test side, sharpening the focus on those playing in the JLT Sheffield Shield in the coming weeks.

Round Two of the Shield started on Thursday and a handful of batting contenders put in good performances, while some incumbents failed to fire.

Take a closer look at which batsmen made impressive strides and which bowlers impressed in Thursday’s action.

Who fired

Ball dominated bat around the country, but there were a handful of Test contenders who bucked the trend and put up some good numbers.

Former Test opener Joe Burns posted 64 in Queensland’s innings of 231, the right-hander fighting hard after the Bulls were reduced to 3-29 early on and then 4-70. Burns shared a crucial 63-run partnership with allrounder Jack Wildermuth (38) before both men were undone by wrong’uns from spinner Lloyd Pope. As Australia seek to end their tendency to collapse with the bat, the fact Burns held firm today would not have gone unnoticed.

The same goes for NSW left-hander Kurtis Patterson, who scored 63 batting at No.3 in his side’s total of 159. On an MCG pitch that was doing plenty, Patterson survived 147 deliveries when only one other Blues batsman – teenager Jack Edwards – was at the crease for more than 50 balls. One of only a handful of batsmen to average more than 45 in the Shield in recent years, Patterson was already in the frame for higher honours.

Former Test No.3 Alex Doolan, meanwhile, continued his magnificent start to the season, scoring 76 amid a top-order collapse from Tasmania in Perth. Doolan posted a superb century in a low-scoring game at the Gabba last week, an innings that received glowing praise from his skipper George Bailey and Tigers quick Jackson Bird. And he stood form again as the Tigers were reduced to 4-72 before he edged a full ball from David Moody straight to second slip. Tasmania had managed just 124 by the time Doolan was dismissed for 76, underlining how much he defied the trend of the opening few sessions at the WACA.

The only other Tasmanian batsman to fire was former Test wicketkeeper-batsman Matthew Wade, who continued his red-hot Shield form with an unbeaten 66 in his side’s total of 226. The 30-year-old has all but given up on a Test recall, but his recent first-class form is hard to ignore; since being dropped from Australia’s ODI side, the left-hander averages 76.55 in Shield cricket and could be an option as a specialist batsman in the Test side if that form continues.

It was a frustrating finish to the day for Victorian skipper Peter Handscomb at the MCG, who showed good signs in posting 48 after the Vics had been reduced to 2-6 early in their innings. The 13-Test batsman looked assured in rebuilding his side’s innings, but he missed a golden chance to post a big score on Friday when he was dismissed just before stumps, edging a cut shot to slip off leg-spinner Daniel Fallins.

Shaun Marsh only batted for 18 minutes before stumps, but there was just enough time for this... #SheffieldShield pic.twitter.com/TJSihlNyCR

While Handscomb will watch Friday’s play from the stands, opener Marcus Harris will resume on 51no and could put his name forward with a big hundred on a pitch that’s proved difficult for batting.

Another looking to push on in Friday's play will be Shaun Marsh. The Test incumbent came in for a tricky 18-minute session before stumps at the WACA Ground and creamed a trademark cover drive along the turf for a boundary and reached stumps unbeaten on 10.

Who misfired

Incumbents in Australia’s Test squad in the UAE, Matthew Renshaw and Marnus Labuschagne were unable to add weight to their case, the pair dismissed for three in Adelaide.

Both batsmen were undone by paceman Joe Mennie; Renshaw played an expansive drive and was bowled, while Labuschagne edged a wide out-swinger straight to slip.

And a word on the bowlers …

With Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon all expected to be fit for the first Test, the major Shield focus at the moment is on Australia’s batsmen rather than the bowlers.

But Chris Tremain continues to put his name forward should injury or form hit one of the big three quicks, with the right-armer taking 5-47 as NSW were bowled out for just 159 at the MCG. The leading Shield wicket-taker over the past two seasons, Tremain has started this campaign with 14 wickets at an average of just 13.14, adding to an already impressive resume. An unlucky omission for the Test tour of the UAE, the NSW-born quick is doing everything right to get his hands on a Baggy Green this summer.

And teenage leg-spinner Lloyd Pope continues to live up to the hype, the flame-haired leg-spinner picking up his maiden five-wicket haul with figures of 7-87 against Queensland. Pope is one of the most exciting cricketers in the country and proved why on Thursday, with three beautiful wrong’uns the highlights of his haul. He’s at long odds to unseat Lyon in the Test side anytime soon, but he’s certainly a player to keep an eye on.

Another rising star to watch for down the line is Western Australia's Cameron Green. The 19-year-old burst onto the scene with five wickets on debut at the back end of the 2016-17 season, and one-upped that feat with 6-30 against Tasmania yesterday. He becomes the first ever Western Australian quick to have two Shield five-wicket hauls while still a teenager.