Strike League providing great experience for young Territory stars

THE NT Strike League kicked off last week with the opening Twenty20 rounds at Marrara Cricket Ground on Sunday.

The grounds were an absolute picture and the players commented on how good it was to be playing cricket in what is essentially winter in Australia.

There was a lot of attention around Cameron Bancroft’s first game back, but we had some other standout performances with the bat and ball.

I think Cameron is enjoying being back among a playing group again and is definitely being proactive in spending time with the guys and sharing his knowledge of the game.

The Desert Blaze won both their games which was pleasing as a lot of our NT pathway players are in the side and they’re getting valuable experience.

Alex Ross was classy and I don’t think he could have scripted the game any better. It’s always special to bring up your hundred but to do it with a boundary that also sealed the win for the Blaze was great.

It’s a boost for our NT players to have the likes of Bancroft, Bosisto, Summers, Truloff and Ross in the Strike League and our local guys are really stepping up and taking their training to the next level.

Looking through the lists, it’s hard to pick the strongest team for the league at this stage, they all had some good elements to their games and that’s only going to strengthen as they jell. The Southern Storm had one win and shared the wickets around among their bowlers, with Joel Logan doing well.

I’m looking forward to today to see how the teams shape up with their game plans now they’ve had a chance to get a look at the others in action.