Bobby means business
Fri, 22 January 2010
The forgotten man of Victorian cricket, Rob Quiney wants to make the most of his comeback and open the batting against South Australia in Saturday's KFC Twenty20 Big Bash final at Adelaide Oval. Quiney, who's been on the outer since being dismissed for just four in the Bushrangers' first T20 match against Queensland, has regained a spot in the side with Cameron White, Kiwi Ross Taylor and Dwayne Bravo unavailable because of national commitments or injury. The 27-year-old says a double hundred for St Kilda at Premier Cricket level and some productive knocks in a recently-completed Futures League match against New South Wales have helped restore some belief he can make an impact at the top of the order. "I had a bit of a hit, spent some time in the middle which is good and what I needed, so I've got a bit of confidence going into this game," Quiney said. "I'm preparing myself to bat anywhere. Ideally I'd love to face the first ball and get us off to a good start, but as long as I'm in the side I'm happy." Earning an opening position will be a tough ask given Brad Hodge and Aaron Finch have been effective at the top of the order while Matthew Wade is another option. But Quiney will be given some consideration as he is a proven performer in big matches. In last season's final he smashed 91 off 56 in the Bushrangers' final-ball loss against the Blues. Quiney said he's optimistic he can rise to the occasion once more. "I'd hope so. But saying that, it's my first game back after a couple of weeks so there's a little bit of pressure but, as I said, hopefully I can replicate that somehow," he said. The introduction of international recruits to the Big Bash arena has meant quality players like Quiney are often squeezed out of the line-up. But the exciting batsman said he's pleased, not disappointed, the superstars are involved and are lifting the standard and profile of the competition. "My form forced me out of the side but I think if you looked at the crowd numbers you'd get the answer to your question," he said. "I think those numbers are due to having international players." Quiney has been involved in two of the Bushrangers' five Big Bash finals and says the self-belief and natural stroke-making of most of the players has contributed to their success in big games. He said these attributes should work in his team's favour come Saturday night. "There's going to be a lot of expectation on South Australia, it's their first final for a while so I'm guessing they'll be just as nervous and hopefully we can take our finals experience into that."
