Inside Word: Openings beckon for young Vics

Budding allrounder Will Sutherland looms as a chief beneficiary from one of the youngest Victorian squads assembled in recent memory, coach Andrew McDonald says.

The likes of Sutherland (18 years old), teenage leg-spinner Tom O'Connell (18), batsman Will Pucovski (20) and wicketkeeper Sam Harper (21) are among the young Victorians who could play key roles in the forthcoming JLT One Day Cup.

Sutherland gave Australian cricket a taste of his immense promise last summer when he ripped through NSW's top-order with a haul of 4-11. He was limited to just two games for the tournament due to his Year 12 studies but has now been upgraded to a senior contract.

O'Connell meanwhile is understood to be in the mix for a JLT Cup berth and a domestic debut despite himself still completing his final year of school in Adelaide. A virtual unknown before Victoria poached him from South Australia earlier this year, the 18-year-old has impressed teammates in limited pre-season interactions with the squad.

The Vics are chasing their first piece of 50-over silverware since 2011 when McDonald himself was captain and will, as usual, will lose a number of players to Australian selection for the overlapping Pakistan Test series. State skipper Peter Handscomb and Glenn Maxwell would appear likely inclusions, while Aaron Finch, Jon Holland and Chris Tremain are all contenders.

Departures for this season's Victorian contract list are veterans Fawad Ahmed, Dan Christian and John Hastings, leaving a greater onus on a throng of inexperienced talent.

"I'd say the one that will be structurally important is Will Sutherland as an allrounder," McDonald told cricket.com.au when asked about Victoria's younger players.

"He could potentially get some opportunity within the JLT (Cup). He performed really well last in amongst his exams last year.

"We're just looking for some growth from those players – they haven’t played a lot of cricket (at senior domestic level) and we haven’t seen them play a lot of cricket from a coaching perspective.

"We're excited to see what they can do – if they can improve across the journey that's important as well."

Pucovski is one of the country's most highly rated young batting talents, posting his maiden first-class century last summer before suffering the latest in a series of concussion setbacks in March.

Harper is expected to battle with fellow keeper Seb Gotch for the gloves this season, with neither having made the spot their own since the departure of Matthew Wade.

"You look at the squad and it's probably the youngest ever we've assembled for Victoria in the contracting time," McDonald continued.

"We're confident that they are the best options for the Victorian cricket team, it's not just purely because they're young that they're contracted. We believe they have a big role to play and they are the best options.

"We're confident that over time they'll learn and evolve into their own batting unit.

"It'd be a great problem to have for the batting group if Finch, Maxwell and Handscomb are playing for Australia in the UAE. It'd be a magnificent result for a batting group that's been waiting for period of time (for opportunities).

"We've got a really good blend of senior and younger players - it's the art of getting that combination right to let the younger players grow with that strength around them."

As revealed by cricket.com.au last week, uncontracted Australia T20 batsman Nic Maddinson is a chance of making his Victoria debut in the JLT Cup having departed NSW at the end of last season, while former Tasmania quick and one-time Test squad member Andrew Fekete has also taken part in pre-season matches with his native state having returned to Melbourne over the winter.

The likes of elder statesmen Cameron White, Peter Siddle and Scott Boland along with emerging players Marcus Harris and Matt Short will all play major roles during the one-day campaign. Test quick James Pattinson remains an outside chance of regaining fitness for the tournament after a recent hip injury set back his return from major back surgery.

Although Victoria have failed to replicate their dominant Sheffield Shield form in the 50-over arena in recent summers, they've made finals in four of the seven one-day tournaments since their last title in 2011. They have also been one of the leading producers of players for Australia's one-day and T20 teams.

McDonald is hoping they can marry those national contributions with domestic success.

"You're at the mercy of the Australians selectors – sometimes your best players go play for Australia, which is ultimately what you want," said McDonald, a four-Test former allrounder who played for Victoria for more than a decade. 

"We've got a similar situation leading into this JLT (Cup). We're not sure what our team is going to be. We'll formulate our plans on the back of that (selection for UAE tour).

"We'll try our best like we do most years … We've made the finals a lot. We've had opportunities, we want to put ourselves in that situation again."