Pope sidelined as SA turn to new spinner

Lloyd Pope began what loomed as a breakthrough summer as the sole specialist spinner in South Australia's squad, and re-wrote history on the opening day of the Marsh Sheffield Shield season.

Five matches later, as the Redbacks wage battle with a near-Test strength New South Wales at Adelaide Oval, Pope finds himself eyeing a holiday weekend without a cricket commitment of any type to occupy his time.

After becoming the first bowler in 50 years to snare a five-wicket haul on the opening day of the Shield season – 5-94 against Western Australia at Karen Rolton Oval – Pope struggled to make an impact and eventually surrendered his place in the starting XI.

And with the Redbacks anchored to the foot of the Shield table, where they have finished for the past three seasons, they have entrusted spin duties for the game against the Blues to untried 23-year-old left-arm wrist spinner Joe Medew-Ewen.

Pope's chances of forcing his way back into the SA team this summer seem limited given SA has no further second XI matches fixtured and his club (Kensington) has currently drawn the bye in local Premier Cricket.

The fact their budding leg spinner is robbed of a chance to play any cricket at a crucial time of the summer adds credence to the SA Cricket Association's push to reduce the number of Premier Cricket Clubs, thereby eliminating the bye.

But Redbacks coach Jason Gillespie remains positive about the role the 21-year-old will play in the future after SA lost experienced spinners Adam Zampa (to NSW) and Tom Andrews (Tasmania) last year.

"We know wrist spin is a really challenging art, probably one of the most challenging arts in our sport," Gillespie said yesterday.

"Popey's coming along nicely, but there's areas we've identified where we think he can develop and he's certainly working on that, he's been given that feedback from the selectors.

"I'm catching up with him in the next couple of days as well, to have another chat and reaffirm our belief in Popey.

'He's a great lad and he's got so much potential, but at the moment we're just having a look at someone else."

Pope had undergone an intensive pre-season in preparation for his role as sole spinner, often working on his own at training due to COVID-19 restrictions and cutbacks to SA's coaching set-up with input via video phone calls with spin-bowling mentor Shannon Tubb.

However, after a blazing beginning to his first season in the primary spinner's job, the former Australia Under-19 representative found little help in the early-season Adelaide pitches and copped some treatment from batters looking to push their Test claims.

From the five bowling innings after his five-wicket haul, Pope returned figures of 3-526 from 103 overs before heading to the KFC BBL where he played six matches for eventual champions Sydney Sixers (4/149 at an economy rate of almost 138 per 100 balls bowled).

He then returned to the Redbacks and, while never likely to figure in selection talk for their most recent Shield game at the pace-friendly WACA Ground, he appeared alongside Medew-Ewen in a second XI fixtures against  ACT/NSW Country last month.

Pope picked up five wickets across both innings of that game in Adelaide, but Medew-Ewen captured four wickets to add to the 6-95 he snared in a preceding second XI game against Tasmania with Shield batters Alex Doolan, Charlie Wakim and Caleb Jewell among his victims.

The left-armer is also the second-highest wicket-taker in Adelaide's West End Premier Cricket competition with 26 at 22.92 from 11 matches having crossed from Victoria at the start of the summer when it seemed the pandemic might put paid to Victoria's club season.

Medew-Ewen had initially only planned to play a handful of games for Port Adelaide before returning to Northcote in Victoria's Premier Cricket ranks where he had performed strongly last summer.

But given the dearth of spin stocks in SA he opted to pursue opportunities in SA and was rewarded with his Sheffield Shield cap today, which he received from Gillespie with the debutant's dad Brian Medew – senior coach at Port Fairy, where his son began his playing journey – looking on.

Medew-Ewen becomes the first left-arm wrist-spinner to represent SA since Canberra-born Mark Higgs (who also bowled orthodox spin) relocated to Adelaide in 2002.

"He's performed well for Port Adelaide in Premier Cricket and he's taken a number of second team wickets, so he's thoroughly deserved his opportunity," Gillespie said of his new spinner who faces a baptism of fire against NSW batters the calibre of David Warner and Moises Henriques.

"He's there on merit.

'"It's a great chance to show us what he can do and he'll learn a lot, no doubt.

"We'll also learn more about him and his game, about how as a support staff we can help improve his game.

"It's exciting for Trav (SA skipper Travis Head) as well, to captain a left-arm wrist spinner."