McDonald stars for Vics
Mon, 15 February 2010
Victorian skipper David Hussey believes all-rounder Andrew McDonald should be at the top of the list of contenders trying to break into the Australian Test team for the upcoming tour of New Zealand. McDonald produced one of his best ever games for the Bushrangers during the outright win over New South Wales at the MCG after scoring 120 and 39 not out in his two innings as well as taking 3-51 during the Blues' second innings as the Vics cruised home by six wickets. The outright win - achieved without skipper Cameron White and with star opener Chris Rogers battling illness as well as with five pacemen in Clint McKay, Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Dirk Nannes and Shane Harwood all unavailable - means the Bushrangers are now eight points clear on top of the Sheffield Shield table with three rounds remaining. With Marcus North under pressure to retain his number six spot for the upcoming two Test tour of New Zealand, McDonald is amongst a host of potential candidates to take his place along with fellow Victorian White, in-form Tasmanian George Bailey and New South Wales' young guns Phillip Hughes and Steve Smith, who also both scored hundreds during the Shield game at the MCG. However Hussey says McDonald - who has played four Tests for Australia (all against South Africa) - should be the first man into the national team should the selectors decide to make a change. "He should be right at the top of the queue," Hussey said of McDonald, after watching the big all-rounder produce one of his best ever games for the Vics. "He got three wickets in the second innings here and turned the game with some high-class bowling after scoring a great hundred in the first innings to get us first innings points and then finished with 40 not out in the second innings." Hussey said McDonald was again in the same kind of form that three seasons ago saw him take 29 wickets and score 750 runs for the Vics. "Not too many people have done that and he is edging towards that this season as well." While the Vics' fourth outright win of the season puts them in pole position to again host this year's final - as the Bushrangers bid for successive Shield titles for the first time since 1980 - Hussey admits the team still faces some major challenges, particularly with so many players unavailable. The Vics next Shield clash is against second-placed Queensland at the Gabba, starting next Monday, and in addition to the players they are already without - the Bushrangers will now also lose Hussey as the match clashes with two Australian Twenty20 internationals. "If we could get a couple of (first innings) points up there, we could almost sew up a home final," Hussey said. "We have got a lot (of players) missing but I'm sure our group is itching to get up to Brisbane to take down a full-strength Queensland team and all our players are very keen to hopefully play in a home Shield final."
Paul Gough, Sportal
