Victoria name Sheffield Shield squad to face Tasmania

Will Pucovski has made the decision to take time away from the game for personal reasons and is unavailable for selection. There is no timeline set for his return.

Cricket Victoria will continue to provide all necessary support to Will and ask that his privacy be respected during this time.

Cricket Victoria’s General Manager of Cricket Performance, Graham Manou said:

“Player welfare is always our top priority; we’ll continue to work with Will to ensure he gets the support and space he needs and welcome him back when he’s ready.”

Scott Boland will return to the squad after being rested and top-order batter Ashley Chandrasinghe has been included in the Victorian squad for the first time.

Chandrasinghe was awarded a rookie contract for the 2022-23 season after he performed strongly for the Victorian Second XI, leading the 2021-22 run-scoring charts for Victoria with 423 runs at an average of 84.60.

The 20-year-old also started the season with a century a Second XI against New South Wales last month.

Chandrasinghe has also been a standout in Victorian Premier Cricket scoring 639 runs for Casey South-Melbourne last season.

David Hussey, Cricket Victoria’s Head of Male Cricket said the squad will take confidence from the Marsh Cup win.

“To start our trip to Tasmania with a win is really encouraging, we’ve seen our senior players standing up over the last couple of matches and last night was no different with outstanding performances from Marcus Harris and Scott Boland,” Hussey said.

“There were obviously standout performances with the bat in the last Shield game, but we were also really proud of the efforts with the ball, the addition of Scott Boland for this match will give our young bowling group a big boost.”

Matt Short and Nic Maddinson have been deemed fit to play, Short sustained back spasms during his Marsh Cup innings on Wednesday while Maddinson was ruled out of the match with a knee complaint.

Jon Holland remains unavailable while he recovers from a calf strain.

Marsh Sheffield Shield Squad:
Peter Handscomb (St Kilda) (c)
Scott Boland (Frankston Peninsula)
Ashley Chandrasinghe (Casey-South Melbourne)
Travis Dean (Footscray)
Sam Harper (Melbourne)
Marcus Harris (St Kilda)
Nic Maddinson (St Kilda)
Cameron McClure (Essendon)
Todd Murphy (St Kilda)
Fergus O’Neill (Melbourne)
Mitch Perry (Richmond)
Matt Short (Northcote)
Will Sutherland (Prahran)

Marsh Sheffield Shield
Tasmania vs Victoria
Oct 29 – Nov 1, 10.30am AEDT
Blundstone Arena, Hobart
Coverage: Kayo Sports & cricket.com.au