Adam Voges' squad are in 'good nick' and hungry to return to the top of Australian state cricket
Western Australia preview: Domestic dynasty not over yet
Western Australia's quest for a historic four-peat may not have gone to plan last season, but with a list chock-full of talent, Adam Voges' men are hungry to reclaim their place at the top of Australian domestic cricket.
At first glance, it appeared a dramatic fall from three-time reigning champions to cellar dwellers in both competitions for WA last summer. But dig a little deeper and Voges side still came within 35 runs of qualifying for a fourth straight Sheffield Shield final despite the coach admitting they weren't as clinical in those close moments as they had been in previous seasons.
"We had a red-hot crack last day of the summer and fell 35 runs short," Voges told cricket.com.au.
"But it's never just that one moment. There's many moments throughout the season that you reflect on and think, 'could you have done them a little bit better?' And probably those moments in the past we've tended to win, and maybe we didn't win as many of them last summer, and hence the results or the finishing positions.
WA one-day squad v Queensland and SA: Ashton Turner (c), Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Hilton Cartwright, Joel Curtis, Albert Esterhuysen, Sam Fanning, Liam Haskett, Bryce Jackson, Matt Kelly, Will Malajczuk, Joel Paris, Sam Whiteman, Teague Wyllie
"Our One-Day Cup campaign we lost our first two games by eight runs and two runs … and never really got going in that competition. We had some really good moments in Shield cricket throughout the season but ultimately just fell short.
"So you take those learnings and that's helped shape our pre-season and how we've gone about it.
"The guys are hungry. They've come back in really good nick, and they'll be keen to have some better results, particularly to start the summer."
At full strength (see best XI below), WA could probably beat every Test playing nation, including Australia. The unfortunate reality is that side is unlikely to play together given the demands of the global cricketing calendar.
But what Western Australia have mastered over the past five years is bringing on their younger players so they're readymade performers when their depth is tested by injury and international selection.
Men's season previews
NSW | Queensland | South Australia
Like most states, they’ll again be missing several key pieces to start the 2025-26 domestic season.
Lance Morris is out for the summer after electing to undergo back surgery, fellow speedster Brody Couch has a side strain and Jhye Richardson is "progressing nicely" but won't be ready for their opening matches as he builds his workloads following shoulder surgery last January.
But they'll be boosted by the availability of star allrounder Cameron Green when their Shield campaign kicks off next month as he ramps up his bowling workloads ahead of the Ashes.
Voges is also expecting Richardson to be up and firing and ready to have an impact against England if required, while Mitch Marsh could potentially feature for WA ahead of the Big Bash.
And there's a buzz around the next generation waiting to seize their opportunity when their international stars are unavailable.
Emerging quick Mahli Beardman, while also not quite ready to start the season, gave a taste of his "high-end" skill in the second half of last season, while 22-year-old Cooper Connolly has played all three formats for Australia.
Allrounder Aaron Hardie, although currently nursing a shoulder injury, is also around the nation's white-ball squads and batters Jayden Goodwin and Sam Fanning showed glimpses last season, the former scoring his second Shield hundred and the latter falling just short of his first when dismissed for 95 against Queensland.
The next line of quicks is also promising with 25-year-old Couch claiming 23 wickets in his first full Shield season, including the state's first ever hat-trick in first-class cricket. Bryce Jackson, also 25, was WA's leading one-day wicket-taker last season with 12 in four games, while experienced seamer Matt Kelly is back to full fitness after an injury interrupted 18 months.
"We'll get tested in terms of our pace-bowling depth at the start but know that we'll get some reinforcements at some point," Voges said.
And that means, despite finishing last in both the four- and one-day competitions last season, Voges' side still loom as one of the favourites heading into 2025-26.
2025-26 squad
Cameron Bancroft, Mahli Beardman, Hilton Cartwright, Cooper Connolly, Brody Couch, Keaton Critchell, Joel Curtis, Sam Fanning, Cameron Gannon, Cameron Green*, Jayden Goodwin, Aaron Hardie, Liam Haskett, Baxter Holt, Josh Inglis*, Bryce Jackson, Matthew Kelly, Mitch Marsh*, Lance Morris*, Joel Paris, Jhye Richardson*, Corey Rocchiccioli, Ashton Turner, Sam Whiteman, Teague Wyllie. Rookies: Simon Budge, Albert Esterhuysen, Jordan Quiggin, Corey Wasley
Ins: Mahli Beardman (upgraded rookie), Joel Curtis, Simon Budge, Albert Esterhuysen, Jordan Quiggin
Outs: Hamish McKenzie, D'Arcy Short, Charlie Stobo (NSW), Sam Greer, Josh Vernon
* Denotes Cricket Australia contract
Last season
Sheffield Shield: Sixth
One-Day Cup: Sixth
Possible best XIs
For first one-day game (v Queensland, September 21): Cameron Bancroft, Sam Fanning, Sam Whiteman, Joel Curtis (wk), Ashton Turner (c), Hilton Cartwright, Ashton Agar, Joel Paris, Matt Kelly, Bryce Jackson, Liam Haskett
Sheffield Shield (at full strength): Cameron Bancroft, Sam Whiteman (c), Cameron Green, Hilton Cartwright, Mitch Marsh, Josh Inglis (wk), Aaron Hardie, Joel Paris, Matt Kelly, Corey Rocchiccioli, Jhye Richardson (*Lance Morris injured)
Inside word with coach Adam Voges
Practice games
Unlike the five other states, WA opted to just play their pre-season games among themselves with a series of white-ball matches followed by a two-day red-ball hit-out at the WACA Ground earlier this month. Wicketkeeper-batter Joel Curtis (116no off 78 balls in a 50-over match and 73 off 49 in a T20) and Cooper Connolly (103no and 92no) hit centuries, while Sam Fanning (89 and 88), Matt Kelly (51no), Teague Wyllie (63) and uncontracted teenage allrounder Will Malajczuk (51) were among the runs.
Corey Rocchiccioli, Connolly, Malajczuk, Kelly and left-arm quicks Joel Paris and Liam Haskett were the multiple wicket-takers across the series of practice games.
"In the white-ball games, Joel Curtis was really impressive," Voges said. "He scored a hundred in the 50-over game and 73 in a T20. Cooper Connolly was excellent over the two weeks, scored 92 in the 50-over game and a hundred in the red-ball game, so he looks ready to go.
"Corey Rocchiccioli took five wickets as well in the red-ball hit out, so really good to spend some time in the middle for the boys and some pleasing results as well."
Perth Scorchers Academy also sent a team to Darwin for the Top End T20 tournament last month where the beat Adelaide Strikers Academy in the final. Kelly took 13 wickets in six games while wicketkeeper Baxter Holt was the best of their batters with an unbeaten 114 off 63 balls in the final.
Injury and availability
Cameron Green will feature prominently for WA in the opening phase of the Shield season after being left out of Australia's T20 tour of New Zealand to prioritise his return to bowling in competitive matches ahead of the Ashes.
"Any time we get 'Greeny' back it's always a bonus," Voges said. "Whether that's two, three or four Shield games, we're not entirely sure just yet. He actually played in our intra-squad match (last week) and got a run-a-ball 90 and looks very sharp, so it'll be nice to have him at the start of the summer. Add the element of his bowling, hopefully for the Ashes, and we'll get back to seeing him at his absolute best."
Australia T20 captain Mitch Marsh won't be around for the early Shield rounds or one-day matches with his national side touring New Zealand before the Aussies face India in both white-ball formats in October. There could be a window leading into the Big Bash, but his availability remains unclear at this stage. Australian white-ball keeper Josh Inglis has been ruled out of the NZ tour with a right calf strain but is expected to return to face India next month, and he is also likely to be included in the Ashes squad after playing three Tests as a specialist batter this year, meaning his time with WA will be limited.
Also missing for WA's opening two games of the one-day season are Australia A representatives Cooper Connolly and Corey Rocchiccioli, with Connolly also unavailable for the opening round of the Shield season against NSW as part of the one-day squad for three matches against India A that follow the two first-class games in Lucknow.
"We're always really pleased to get as many West Australians in these squads as we possibly can," Voges said. "That'll test our depth at various times and that's the challenge for most teams to manage that and have your younger cohort ready to go when those opportunities do present.
"We'll see that pretty early on in the season, particularly for our first couple of Dean Jones Trophy games away from home. We'll be missing a few players, so that presents opportunity for our young guys, and we're pleased to see some of those guys going well at the moment, so looking forward to see how they go."
Voges indicated Jhye Richardson won't be ready for the start for the season as he builds back to full fitness following shoulder surgery, and either will 20-year-old speedster Mahli Beardman, who he said will be given mostly white-ball opportunities again this summer. Brody Couch is recovering from a side strain but WA are hopeful of a return as some point in October.
Aaron Hardie is rehabbing a shoulder injury and won't play in WA's opening one-day matches against Queensland (Sunday) and South Australia (Wednesday) but the 26-year-old is targeting a return for WA during the early phase of the Sheffield Shield campaign. And Lance Morris will be sidelined for up to 12 months after opting for back surgery in August.
Jhye Richardson's progress
"I think Jhye can have an impact in the Ashes this summer if he gets back up and fully fit," Voges said. "How that looks before the Ashes, we'll just see how Jhye keeps progressing and then provide those playing opportunities when they present."
Richardson's last Test match came during the previous Ashes series Down Under when he took a five-wicket haul in the second innings to bowl Australia to victory in Adelaide in 2021. He has struggled with hamstring, side and shoulder injuries since but was included in Australia's Test squad once again last summer before opting for surgery to try and fix his troublesome right shoulder.
'We're certainly hopeful that the surgery provides a fix for that shoulder and that he can build from here," Voges said. "He's done a mountain of work throughout the pre-season. He looks in great shape and physically he's going really well.
"The last piece of the puzzle is just getting his body right so that he can get out there and hopefully play some consistent cricket, because unfortunately, he hasn't been able to have that over the last couple of years."
Squad transition
"There has been a bit of transition and no doubt we'll continue to keep developing our younger players," Voges said. "I think we've had 13 debutants in one-day cricket in the last two seasons with maybe one or two more as well this summer.
"It's great for those guys to get that experience and to get a few games under their belt. We've still got a really great senior core of players that will help lead the way and continue to drive our training standards, but it's exciting to see a few young guys now starting to get their opportunities."
Players to watch
"(Matt Kelly) feels like a new player for us this year," said Voges. "He missed big chunks of last season, and probably the last couple of seasons. He looks fit and ready and bowled really nicely in the (practice) games that we've had and up at Darwin (in the Top End T20 tournament).
"Really pleased to have him back, not only for what he'll contribute on the field, but he's a great character and really important for the dynamic of our team so certainly looking forward to having him back in the mix at the start of the season.
"Joel Curtis banged the door down in terms of performance and forced us to pick him, which you love seeing. He works incredibly hard on his keeping craft, as well as his batting. The couple of the innings that he played (in the practice games), he was the best player on the field. Really excited to see his continued development."