Quiney keen to maintain form
Tue, 2 February 2010
The reinstated Rob Quiney says the support from within the entire Bushrangers squad was a catalyst for his career-best 153 against Tasmania in the drawn Shield encounter at Bellerive. "Everyone has been backing me and wanting me to do well," he said. "When you are in the side you want to contribute and not just be hanging on." Quiney had scores of 6 and 3 in the opening two games at the season-start before being omitted. On return to the team for the Shield competition he made 6 and 153, reminding everyone of his great skill and poise. "I'm not getting too excited," he says. "I've made one score for Victoria. I'm happy to be back in the side and to have contributed. Now I want stay positive and go on with it. I can't just rest on one score. I want to finish the season well and be a part of the team on an on-going basis, hopefully into the final (later in March)." Quiney says a double century to start the new calendar year at club level, combined with some good form in a second XI fixture in Sydney helped swing his form around. Of his three-match absence at first-class level, he said: "I learnt how quickly it can get taken away from you... when you are going well one day and not so well the next. It's not a great feeling." Quiney said the hard work from John Hastings, Matty Wade and captain David Hussey paved the way for the Vics to take first innings points. It has given the Bushrangers a two point lead at the head of the table approaching next week's game against NSW. "It was doing a fair bit on day one and the middle-order in particular worked really hard to establish some sort of score for Tasmania to chase." "While we didn't get the outright, we did get the first innings points and fought it out all the way. Now we look forward to NSW and maybe the return of guys like Brett Lee and Nathan Bracken. They'll be coming at us, that's for sure." Quiney says playing three brands of cricket in such a short period of time - the Vics have played 21 matches in three frenetic months - is challenging and good fun but does require a different game plan for each. "I feel confident in the one-dayers. I know my game and what I want to do," he says. "I'm still learning in the four-day games and the Twenty20s. Maybe it has been a complication issue. Keeping it simple is normally best." Head coach Greg Shipperd says the Bushrangers are hoping to re-include Andrew McDonald in the team which takes on NSW from February 12. Dirk Nannes is another pushing for re-inclusion, having played just one Shield game all summer. He makes his Australian-soil Twenty20 debut against Pakistan at the MCG on Friday night.
by Ken Piesse
