Quantcast

Young Pope in line for Redbacks debut

With three players on international duty, South Australia are set to unleash their teenage leg-spinner in Shield opener

Teenage leg-spinner Lloyd Pope is in line to make his first-class debut next week after he was named for South Australia's JLT Sheffield Shield opener against NSW.

With Adam Zampa on international duty with Australia's T20 squad, Pope is the only spinner in a 12-man Redbacks squad to take on the Blues from Tuesday.

Pope shot to prominence earlier this year when he took a record haul of 8-35 in Australia's Under-19s World Cup victory over England.

Pope spins a web to skittle England at World Cup

The flame-haired leggie, 18, could be one of three teenagers in the match after the Blues named Mickey Edwards (18) and Jason Sangha (19) in their squad.

Alex Carey is also on international duty, meaning Harry Nielsen will take the gloves and play just his fourth first-class game.

And with regular skipper Travis Head on Test duty, Jake Lehmann will lead the Redbacks in a Shield match for the first time, emulating his father Darren, who captained SA in 55 Shield games.

If Pope plays, the Redbacks will likely pick one of Kane Richardson and Nick Winter to play alongside fellow quicks Chadd Sayers and Joe Mennie, with allrounder Cameron Valente set to be included.

Paceman Dan Worrall, who missed the JLT One-Day Cup due to injury, has not been named in the squad.

SA: Jake Lehmann (c), Tom Cooper, Callum Ferguson, Conor McInerney, Joe Mennie, Harry Nielsen (wk), Lloyd Pope, Kane Richardson, Chadd Sayers, Cameron Valente, Jake Weatherald, Nick Winter

NSW: Peter Nevill (c & wk), Sean Abbott, Trent Copeland, Jack Edwards, Mickey Edwards, Moises Henriques, Daniel Hughes, Nick Larkin, Stephen O'Keefe, Kurtis Patterson, Daniel Sams, Jason Sangha