Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc named in New South Wales Sheffield Shield squad

Star Australia cricketers Steve Smith and Mitchell Starc are all set to play for New South Wales against Victoria in the Sheffield Shield. In preparation for the international summer, both Smith and Starc will aim to put in their best performances in order to prepare. 

It is worth noting that Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood will not feature in the Sheffield Shield but will be playing the One-Day Cup fixture at Junction Oval, on October 25. Australian skipper will not be playing any red-ball fixture before the Border-Gavaskar series. The same could also be applied to Hazlewood. Pacer Sean Abbott will also be making his return to NSW after he did not feature in the opening round of the Shield.

Notably, he missed out after he picked up a minor injury in the England tour, whereas Nathan Lyon is set to feature once more. It is worth noting that Starc last played a Sheffield Shield clash in 2020-21, when he played the final against Queensland, whereas Steve Smith last featured in February 2021 against Victoria. The players will be looking to put in their best performances in the domestic matches in order to better prepare for the international assignments. Currently, Australia occupy second place in the WTC standings and are well in the race to make it to the WTC final.

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The side will be looking to register wins in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar series, claiming the trophy for themselves after missing out on the last few series. The Aussies lost their last two Test series to India when the Rohit Sharma-led side visited Australia. However, the side will hope that the same will not be the case this time around.

New South Wales squad:

Sean Abbott, Jackson Bird, Ollie Davies, Jack Edwards, Moises Henriques, Sam Konstas, Nathan Lyon, Nic Maddinson, Jack Nisbet, Josh Philippe, Tanveer Sangha, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc.