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NSW preview: Injury setback for young Blues spinner

Tanveer Sangha will miss the first half of the season with a back injury, but the Blues will be able to call on the experience of Nathan Lyon for the opening two months

NSW have been dealt a crushing blow on the eve of the Australian domestic summer with talented leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha ruled out of the first half of the season.

The 20-year-old had been set to partner Test star Nathan Lyon in a dual spin attack for the first two months of the season but has been diagnosed with a lower back stress injury just days out from the Blues' Marsh One-Day Cup season opener against Victoria on Friday.

Sangha, one of the nation's rising stars who claimed a career-best first-class haul of 4-56 to bowl Australia A to victory against Sri Lanka A in June, is aiming to return to action for Sydney Thunder during KFC BBL|12.

Fellow young guns Hayden Kerr (finger injury) and Ollie Davies, who is still recovering from off-season surgery, will also miss the start of the season and the Blues will again be without their Aussie stars in David Warner, Steve Smith, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa, Daniel Sams, Sean Abbott and Mitchell Starc who are on national duties.

NSW head coach Phil Jaques told cricket.com.au that while he'd love to have their world-class players available, the Blues still had "really good players and depth when they aren't around".

"For the guys that do play, it does give them a bit of continuity when they know there's a position for them all the time," he said.

"NSW is what it is because of the competition that we have, and it makes players work really hard and want to keep getting better for the team."

Last season

Sheffield Shield: 4th

Marsh One-Day Cup: 2nd

Squad: Sean Abbott, Trent Copeland, Pat Cummins*, Oliver Davies, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Mickey Edwards, Matthew Gilkes, Ryan Hackney, Ryan Hadley, Liam Hatcher, Josh Hazlewood*, Lachlan Hearne, Moises Henriques, Baxter Holt, Daniel Hughes, Hayden Kerr, Nathan Lyon*, Kurtis Patterson (c), Daniel Sams, Jason Sangha, Tanveer Sangha, Steve Smith*, Mitchell Starc*, Chris Tremain, David Warner*, Adam Zampa*. Rookies: Liam Doddrell, Blake Nikitaras, Jack Nisbet, Lachlan Shaw, Will Salzmann, Hunar Verma

* Cricket Australia contract

Ins: Hayden Kerr, Liam Doddrell (rookie), Blake Nikitaras (rookie), Lachlan Shaw (rookie), Will Salzmann (rookie)

Outs: Josh Baraba (rookie – delisted), Harry Conway (South Australia), Peter Nevill (retired)

Possible best XIs

Sheffield Shield: Daniel Hughes, Ryan Hackney, Kurtis Patterson, Jason Sangha, Moises Henriques, Baxter Holt, Hayden Kerr, Sean Abbott, Chris Tremain, Nathan Lyon, Tanveer Sangha

Marsh One-Day Cup: Daniel Hughes, Matthew Gilkes, Kurtis Patterson, Jason Sangha, Moises Henriques, Jack Edwards, Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis, Daniel Sams, Nathan Lyon, Tanveer Sangha

Inside word with head coach Phil Jaques

The pre-season: "(It was) a typical pre-season, lots of guys playing in different leagues and different places all over the world – a few guys went and played club cricket in Ireland and the UK and we had a few guys in the Hundred and IPL – but we had a decent sized group here that we could get some work into and set themselves up for a good year.

"Matt Gilkes and Moises Henriques put in a good performances with the bat in the last (practice) game (against Victoria in Coffs Harbour) and then with the ball, Mickey Edwards got five-for in one of the games and Tanveer Sangha and Chris Tremain played the last game and bowled really well."

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Fitness and availability: Nathan Lyon will be available for "three or four games in both formats. It's always good when 'Gaz' comes back around the group, he's been a solid performer for a long time and provides some good experience for us.

"The guys who are regulars in the (Australian) team in all formats – (Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Steve Smith and David Warner) – I don't think we'll see much of them at all, if any, this year (and) we won't see (Adam Zampa) leading into the T20 World Cup.

"Jack Edwards (suffered) appendicitis over in the UK so he didn’t get up to Coffs (Harbour), he's still on the mend. We're hoping he'll be (available for the start of the season), he didn't do anything for about three weeks (but) he's back doing some light training at the moment and just building things back up again."

Young gun: "(Jason Sangha and Hayden Kerr) both had really good years last season, particularly the back end for Jason was a real breakout for him and Hayden was consistent from the moment he came into the team he was contributing bat or ball or both … and we're hoping they can keep progressing and improving."

Sangha delivers in first knock as NSW skipper

Talking points

When fit does Tanveer Sangha play when Lyon or Zampa are available?

"We'll look to play our best one-day bowlers regardless of the conditions and Tanveer's right up there so I don't see any issue with playing both him and (Lyon), as we played Zampa and him in the team last year.

"It's great for a young spinner to bowl with guys of that quality and we love playing our spinners, multiple spinners most of the time anyway, so there's always good opportunity for him.

"It's awesome for (Sangha), he's a super talent, I don't think he bowled a bad ball in the last trial game we had up north. He's really consistent and landing all of his variations really well."

Who keeps?

"I think in Shield cricket Baxter (Holt) is our keeper no doubt. In white-ball cricket it will depend on how Baxter's going and depend on the balance of the team we're looking to play. Having a top-order batter that can keep wickets in 'Gilkesy' (Gilkes) helps as well at certain times but we're looking to try and develop both of those guys and we're hoping one of them can really jump out of the pack and make the spot their own."

Who opens with Daniel Hughes?

"(Blake Nikitaras and Ryan Hackney) will be in the frame for those positions if they're performing. We will reward performance and all of those guys did well at certain stages last year in club, second XI or Shield cricket. They're really good young talents and we're hopeful they keep getting better and we'll keep looking to give them some opportunities where we can."

Key player: "I think Tanveer Sangha is going to have an unbelievable year in all formats. He's getting better and better every day that I see him, I think he's a future superstar and he's only going to learn from the experiences he got last year playing alongside those two spinners in Nathan Lyon and Adam Zampa.

Somersaulting Edwards pulls off incredible caught & bowled

"There's a lot of good young players in NSW and I wouldn't be surprised if a couple of those other young players jump out of the pack as well."

Team to beat: "WA were the benchmark last year, they're a really good team but I think all of the teams are very strong, that's the nature of first-class cricket in Australia is that anyone can beat anyone on a given day and all the squads have definitely improved and it's going to be a great competition."