NSW Bias - myth?

[Scotland]

http://www.news.com.au/sport/cricke...more-than-a-myth/story-fndpt0dy-1226866374534

In Australia’s most recent Test side there were six NSW players — Michael Clarke, David Warner, Steve Smith, Shane Watson, Brad Haddin and Nathan Lyon.

With the likes of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Moises Henriques waiting in the wings, the Blue tinge is likely to stick around for a while yet, especially with talk that Smith will one day succeed Clarke as Australian captain.

Watson ended up at NSW from Queensland via Tassie and Lyon was from SA, but otherwise correct.

Does 'NSW bias' still exist? IMO it's pretty much a thing of the past. In the 1980s and 1990s being from NSW was a huge advantage (again IMO). I really doubt Langer, Hayden, Hodge etc. would've spent as much time out of the test side if they played for NSW.

Nowadays, I think CA have moved on to simply playing favourites and trying to pick winners. Phil Hughes, Steve O'Keefe - no amount of pale blue has them inside the circle, while Maxwell, Henriques & Shaun Marsh manage to win test caps. Dooland and Quiney won spots through strong shield seasons, Smith and Johnson through limited overs form and hunches. CA are all over the place with selection methods and strike rates.

What do you reckon, is NSW bias a thing of the past? Was it never really a thing?

 

[Jhye Clark 13]

It's no coincidence that NSW have the most shield titles, and by a long way, despite the fact that they've regularly been missing players due to test duty.

It's also remiss of you to forget to include the fact that not one selector is from NSW. No bias at all, and as stats will show, we breed the best talent.

PS: Lyon is actually a born and bred New South Welshman.

 

[The Passenger]

It's no coincidence that NSW have the most shield titles, and by a long way, despite the fact that they've regularly been missing players due to test duty.

People love to harp on about NSW bias but we've been the best performed team in the Shield over it's history, and have suitably been rewarded.

Between 1969/70 and 1979/80 when NSW didn't have a top two finish and our representation in the test team was fairly indicative of that. During that period of the 17 that played 20 tests for Australia only four were from NSW - Doug Walters, Jeff Thomson (playing in Qld by the time he made his debut), Alan Border and Rick McCosker. I don't think anyone is begrudging them their spots in the test team. McCosker only played 25 tests.

The test team has generally followed the successes of shield cricket with the only real exception being Queensland in the late 90's didn't get too much of a look in but the Aussie team was so strong there it was hard to justify changes. The Victorian period of success about 6 years ago was probably also unlucky to get more international representation as well, but I don't think they were overly hard done by.

 

[The_Reaper]

New South Wales is genuinely the best cricket state. Country NSW is the lifeblood of Australian cricket.

If anything one could argue a slight WA bias over the last decade but all in all I don't think there is any bias in recent selections.

 

[Cleavy]

slow news day.

 

[Black Diamond]

Exactly which NSW players from the last 20 years haven't deserved a spot, and who should have been picked instead?

Inb4 Brad Hodge and Cameron White

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

If you look back in eras of Australia strength in Test cricket, it coincides with very strong representation of NSW players. People have gone on about NSW bias in selection, and maybe you could argue one or two who may have got chances ahead of others, but to be honest, I haven't seen any evidence of this so-called NSW bias over the years.

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

It wasn't until Doug Walters was dropped for the 5th Test in the 1972 Ashes Series that an Australian Test XI took the field without a NSW representative. That means for the first 95 years of Test cricket, there was always a NSW player in the team. Remarkable.

 

[The_Reaper]

It wasn't until Doug Walters was dropped for the 5th Test in the 1972 Ashes Series that an Australian Test XI took the field without a NSW representative. That means for the first 95 years of Test cricket, there was always a NSW player in the team. Remarkable.

Wasn't there only three shield times until the 20s and 30s and then 4 shield times until after the war?

 

[Adelaide Hawk]

Wasn't there only three shield times until the 20s and 30s and then 4 shield times until after the war?

Yes, the Sheffield Shield started in 1892-93 with three teams, NSW, Vic & SA. Queensland commenced in 1926-27, WA started in 1947-48 and Tasmania were added in 1977-78.

 

[The Speaker]

There is an inherent bias in the sense that NSW is the most populous state and the strongest cricketing state.

 

[Phone]

slow news day.

it's more the recent, shameless embrace of click bait from foxsports

 

[Kram]

It's mainly just something invented in the minds of insecure Victorians that think that every mediocre cricketer that's pulled on a Bushranger shirt gets robbed at the national selection table..

 

[courtjester]

Arthur Morris/Mark Taylor/
Bob Simpson/Victor Trumper
Don Bradman/Charlie Macartney
Steve Waugh/Mark Waugh/Stan McCabe
Billy Murdoch (wicketkeeper)
Richie Benaud/Bill O'Reilly
Alan Davidson/Ray Lindwall/Charles Turner/Glenn McGrath

Just really good at producing class.

 

[The_Reaper]

Arthur Morris/Mark Taylor/
Bob Simpson/Victor Trumper
Don Bradman/Charlie Macartney
Steve Waugh/Mark Waugh/Stan McCabe
Billy Murdoch (wicketkeeper)
Richie Benaud/Bill O'Reilly
Alan Davidson/Ray Lindwall/Charles Turner/Glenn McGrath

Just really good at producing class.

Add Gilchrist as a keeper

 

[courtjester]

Add Gilchrist as a keeper

Yep. There's plenty more too. All I posted would contend for an Australian all time XI, and probably also be contenders for a world all time XI also.

 

[The Speaker]

Arthur Morris/Mark Taylor/
Bob Simpson/Victor Trumper
Don Bradman/Charlie Macartney
Steve Waugh/Mark Waugh/Stan McCabe
Billy Murdoch (wicketkeeper)
Richie Benaud/Bill O'Reilly
Alan Davidson/Ray Lindwall/Charles Turner/Glenn McGrath

Just really good at producing class.

None of the other states can really come close at State of Origin for Shield cricket (Test player only, state of birth) - although Victoria's rate of all-rounders means they can probably bat them out of the match. They also have a heap of spinners who were good but simply couldn't match Trumble/Warne.

Queensland

ML Hayden
WA Brown
M Love
SG Law
PJP Burge
S Watson/KD Mackay
IJ Healy/ATW Grout/D Tallon
AJ Bichel/CR Rackemann
MS Kasprowicz
CJ McDermott
H Ironmonger

South Australia

IM Chappell
J Darling/A Hilditch
C Hill
GS Chappell
DS Lehmann
DW Hookes/GS Blewett/TM Moody
G Giffen
BJ Jarman
TBA May/PR Sleep
JN Gillespie
G Noblet/E Jones

Tasmania

DC Boon
CL Badcock
RT Ponting
RD Woolley
GJ Bailey
S Young
MS Wade/TD Paine
DT Ring
MHN Walker
EA McDonald
BW Hilfenhaus

Victoria

WH Ponsford
WM Woodfull/WM Lawry
RN Harvey
AL Hassett/DM Jones
J Ryder/RM Cowper/WW Armstrong
KR Miller
WL Murdoch/JM Blackham
H Trumble
SK Warne
WA Johnston
PR Reiffel/MG Hughes/PM Siddle

Western Australia

JL Langer
GR Marsh
SM Katich
DR Martyn
MEK Hussey
KJ Hughes/RJ Inverarity
TJ Zoehrer
D Fleming
DK Lillee
SCG MacGill/GD McKenzie
BA Reid/TM Alderman

 

[courtjester]

A Barbados FC XI vs a NSW FC XI would be something to see…trying to only use players who really represented their state well (hence no Gilchrist in the NSW team)

Greenidge
Haynes
Walcott
Weekes
Worrell
Sobers
Murray
Marshall
Daniel
Garner
Hall

Trumper
Taylor
Bradman
Macartney
S.Waugh
McCabe
Murdoch
Lindwall
Davidson
McGrath
O'Reilly

You could also add Yorkshire…

Sutcliffe.
Boycott.
Hutton.
Jackson.
Leyland.
Hirst.
Rhodes.
Verity.
Trueman.
Binks.
Bowes.

 

[Kram]

Never knew that Fleming was born in WA.

 

[Black Diamond]

Queensland

ML Hayden
WA Brown
SG Law/M Love
AR Border
PJP Burge
S Watson/KD Mackay
IJ Healy/ATW Grout/D Tallon
AJ Bichel/MS Kasprowicz
CJ McDermott/CR Rackemann
JR Thompson
H Ironmonger

Love should get a look in. Border and Thompson are both of NSW origin.

 

[The_Reaper]

None of the other states can really come close at State of Origin for Shield cricket (Test player only, state of birth) - although Victoria's rate of all-rounders means they can probably bat them out of the match. They also have a heap of spinners who were good but simply couldn't match Trumble/Warne.

Queensland

ML Hayden
WA Brown
SG Law
AR Border
PJP Burge
S Watson/KD Mackay
IJ Healy/ATW Grout/D Tallon
AJ Bichel/MS Kasprowicz
CJ McDermott/CR Rackemann
JR Thompson
H Ironmonger

South Australia

IM Chappell
LE Favell/J Darling
C Hill
GS Chappell
DS Lehmann
DW Hookes/GS Blewett/TM Moody
G Giffen
BJ Jarman
JN Gillespie
AA Mallett
RM Hogg/G Noblet/E Jones

Tasmania

DC Boon
CL Badcock
RT Ponting
RD Woolley
GJ Bailey
S Young
MS Wade/TD Paine
DT Ring
MHN Walker
EA McDonald
BW Hilfenhaus

Victoria

WH Ponsford
WM Woodfull/WM Lawry
RN Harvey
AL Hassett/DM Jones
J Ryder/RM Cowper/WW Armstrong
KR Miller
WL Murdoch/JM Blackham
H Trumble
SK Warne
WA Johnston
PR Reiffel/MG Hughes/PM Siddle

Western Australia

JL Langer
GR Marsh
SM Katich
DR Martyn
MEK Hussey
KJ Hughes/RJ Inverarity
TJ Zoehrer
D Fleming
DK Lillee
SCG MacGill/GD McKenzie
TM Alderman

Could chuck in Bruce Reid for WA

Also Thompson is from Sydney

 

[Doodlesweaver]

Tasmania

DC Boon
CL Badcock
RT Ponting
RD Woolley
GJ Bailey
S Young
MS Wade/TD Paine
DT Ring
MHN Walker
EA McDonald
BW Hilfenhaus

Victoria

WH Ponsford
WM Woodfull/WM Lawry
RN Harvey
AL Hassett/DM Jones
J Ryder/RM Cowper/WW Armstrong
KR Miller
WL Murdoch/JM Blackham
H Trumble
SK Warne
WA Johnston
PR Reiffel/MG Hughes/PM Siddle

Western Australia

JL Langer
GR Marsh
SM Katich
DR Martyn
MEK Hussey
KJ Hughes/RJ Inverarity
TJ Zoehrer
D Fleming
DK Lillee
SCG MacGill/GD McKenzie
TM Alderman

Add Reid, instead of Alderman unless playing in England and that WA attack would be a cracker.

 

[The Speaker]

Add Reid, instead of Alderman unless playing in England and that WA attack would be a cracker.

How'd you manage to quote Adelaide Hawk?

 

[The Speaker]

Question for all: What is the reason Victoria has a far greater rate of spinners than seamers? There were plenty of other spinners who could well have made some of the other teams that simply couldn't get a look-in in Victoria. Theoretically all the all-rounders could play instead of some of the bowlers, and the team would be a good chance of winning,

 

[Doodlesweaver]

How'd you manage to quote Adelaide Hawk?

Extreme talent? I have no fecking idea how that happened.