The reigning four-day champions and the reigning one-day runners up have a
hard act to follow if they are to go anywhere near equalling the stellar
standards of last season. But then again, Queensland has been the
pacesetter in interstate cricket, to all intents and purposes, for the best
part of the last decade. Accordingly, the production of another brilliant
season seems nigh on a formality.
On paper at least, bowling again seems to represent the strongest point of
an exceptionally well balanced team. Andy Bichel, Adam Dale and Scott
Muller head up a lengthy and impressive list of contenders for fast bowling
spots in the early part of the season. Not far behind them in the pecking
order come Ashley Noffke, Joe Dawes, Matthew Pascoe and Brendan Creevey.
That an injured Michael Kasprowicz will likely be ready to resume his place
shortly after the season commences only serves to highlight the sheer
wealth of the state's pace riches. Another boost - how envious must the
other states be? - comes from the notion that the Bulls' spin bowling
stocks look, potentially anyway, as strong as they have done for a while.
Left armer Matthew Anderson enjoyed an impressive debut first-class season
in 1999-2000 and can not help but be a better player for that experience
this summer. Adding another edge to his desire to do well will be the
strong competition for his berth in the team that will come from one-day
regular Dale Turner and youngster Scott O'Leary. Into the mix, some off
spinning variety will also continue to be provided by Geoff Foley.
The team's batting is not as strong it has to be said. And this is a
problem likely to be exacerbated by the loss of run machine Matthew Hayden
to the Test team through the early part of the summer. But, with the likes
of captain Stuart Law (notwithstanding the memory of a mediocre 1999-2000
by his own high standards), Andrew Symonds, Martin Love and Jimmy Maher all
still around, there remain few questions about the Bulls' potential to rack
up some huge scores. This is also a side that works together excellently;
even on the rare occasions that some of its members are not playing to
their best, others generally find a way of lifting their own levels of
performance in order to fill the void.
It is difficult to foresee the Bulls matching the phenomenal standard that
they set last summer with eight outright victories at first-class level and
another five in the one-day arena. Seasons of such rare quality are few
and far between no matter how good the team. But it is also difficult to
see them doing anything other than figuring largely in the finish of both
the Pura Cup and Mercantile Mutual Cup competitions again.
The key player: Andy Bichel. Always a brilliant, wholehearted competitor for his
state and perhaps never more inspired than in last season's Pura Milk Cup
Final when a wonderful individual spell all but put the finishing seal on a
brilliant summer for the Bulls. Has already signed with Worcestershire for
the 2001 county season but a good summer could see him included in another
Ashes squad instead.
The up and comer: Ashley Noffke. Not all that well known outside of
Queensland as yet but never fear - he soon will be. An excellent young
pace bowler (and no rabbit with the bat either) who might well be the
player to whom the Bulls' selectors turn as a means of covering the
injury-enforced absence of Michael Kasprowicz in the early part of the
summer.
The draw: As usual, the Queenslanders are likely to be as well prepared as
any other team in the lead-up to the season, having already staged a number
of practice matches in the typically mild weather that prevails across much
of the state at this time of year. That leaves them well placed to launch
one of their customary flying starts and, with three Pura Cup and two
Mercantile Mutual fixtures scheduled inside the first month of the season,
they have the perfect platform from which to launch it.
Predicted Pura Cup finishing position: 2nd
Predicted Mercantile Mutual Cup finishing position: 1st
