One-Day Cup - Nathan McSweeney sets sights on ending South Australia's trophy drought

One-Day Cup – Nathan McSweeney sets sights on ending South Australia’s trophy drought

by

Nathan McSweeney, a 12-year-old from Queensland, recalls watching South Australia’s last domestic one-day cricket trophy win in 2011-12. The state hasn’t won since and aims to change that by hosting Victoria for the newly named Dean Jones Trophy. McSweeney expressed excitement about the upcoming match, noting their elite preparation. South Australia leads the Sheffield Shield as well, seeking success in both formats, having not won the four-day competition since 1995-96. The final will award the Michael Bevan medal for the first time, honoring Dean Jones, and features top players like Mackenzie Harvey, who has excelled in the tournament.

Nathan McSweeney was just 12 years old when his newly-adopted South Australia last triumphed in the domestic one-day cricket competition.
McSweeney recalls watching the thrilling 2011-12 final on television, where SA emerged victorious over Tasmania. The scores were tied, but SA was awarded the win due to their superior performance in the preliminary rounds.

Since then, South Australia has not claimed the one-day trophy. However, McSweeney is eager to change that when they face Victoria at Adelaide Oval on Saturday for the newly-named Dean Jones Trophy.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to secure a win,” McSweeney stated to reporters on Friday. “So achieving this would be very special. Our preparation this week has been top-notch, and we hope it leads to some outstanding performances.”

Currently, SA sits at the top of the Sheffield Shield standings with two rounds left, but they have not won the four-day competition since the 1995-96 season.

“We haven’t enjoyed the success we would have liked in recent years,” McSweeney said. “But at the beginning of this year, this is precisely where we aimed to be, so everyone is really excited.

“Hopefully, our best cricket is yet to come. We’ve got an obviously crucial game tomorrow and ideally a few more Shield matches to complete the year.”

In the one-day competition, both SA and Victoria secured four victories, with McSweeney’s team earning three bonus point wins to earn the right to host.

The teams faced each other once, where former Victorian Mackenzie Harvey scored an unbeaten 136, leading SA to victory. After being dropped from Victoria’s contracted player list last season, Harvey moved to Adelaide and topped the tournament’s run-scorer’s list, amassing 311 runs at an average of 62.20.

“He has been exceptional for us,” McSweeney remarked about the 24-year-old. “He’s batting beautifully and knows the bowlers well from his time in Victoria—hopefully, he has another great innings in store.”

This season, the cup competition was renamed the Dean Jones Trophy in honor of the batting icon who passed away in 2020.

“Dean Jones played extensively for Victoria and contributed immensely to Victorian cricket,” said Victorian captain Will Sutherland. “It’s unfortunate that Dean is no longer with us, but many of us had interactions with him—a true superstar. Naming this trophy after him makes it even more special.”

For the first time, the player of the final will receive the Michael Bevan medal. Earlier this week, South Australia allrounder Liam Scott was recognized as the tournament’s player of the year.

South Australia Nathan McSweeney (capt), Jordan Buckingham, Brendan Doggett, Daniel Drew, Mackenzie Harvey, Jake Lehmann, Ben Manenti, Nathan McAndrew, Harry Nielsen, Lloyd Pope, Jason Sangha, Liam Scott, Henry Thornton

Victoria Will Sutherland (capt), Scott Boland, Harry Dixon, Sam Elliott, Peter Handscomb, Sam Harper, Marcus Harris, Campbell Kellaway, Todd Murphy, Fergus O’Neill, Ollie Peake, Tom Rogers, Peter Siddle

Leave a Comment