New South Wales sacks Kurtis Patterson as captain following lackluster Sheffield Shield season

New South Wales (NSW) cricket have sacked Kurtis Patterson as the skipper of the side following a disastrous season in the recently concluded Sheffield Shield. Patterson led the Blues in the previous two seasons, however, was dropped in the final match of the 2022-23 season after NSW failed to win a single match in the entire campaign. 

It is worth noting that, out of the 10 matches played in the domestic campaign, the Patterson-led NSW concluded their abysmal season with a wooden spoon, with five draws and as many losses. Additionally, it was the first time since the 1938-39 season that the side went winless through the entire campaign. 

In the midst of their forgetful season, NSW appointed Greg Shipperd as their new head coach after the sacking of Phil Jaques in November. Shipperd acknowledged the team’s poor campaign and the sacking of skipper Patterson as he stated that the decision will help him focus on his batting.

'It was team first and him second' - NSW coach Shipperd reflects on Kurtis' captaincy stint

Post the sacking of Kurtis Patterson, the NSW head coach, Greg Shipperd, share his views on Patterson's captaincy tenure. He believes that letting his captaincy go off will help him to play positively as a batter as he has figured out some things about the former skipper's batting which he will be working upon. Moreover, featuring as a player will help Kurtis to get back to his best batting performance he has put up in past. 

"That was a disappointing finish to the season for Kurtis. I have had contact with him today. We have identified some areas of his game and thinking. Losing the captaincy will allow him to concentrate on performing at his best,” Shipperd was quoted as saying by the ESPNcricinfo.

"You can get consumed by captaincy and he gave it a terrific shot I've got to say while I was there, it was team first and him second. We can flip that balance around next season and make sure we get him back playing as well as he's ever played,” he added.

The 30-year-old Southpaw suffered a poor end to the campaign with the bat as he could only manage to get mere 417 runs in 16 innings at a dismal average of 29.78.

On Monday, May 8, NSW Cricket officially announced the Blues’ squad for the 2023-24 season. While Daniel Sams elected to opt for global franchise cricket opportunities, the likes of Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, and David Warner among others, are part of the squad.