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South Australia axe star batting pair

Ferguson and Cooper omitted due to poor recent results as Redbacks aim to turn around Shield form

South Australia have dropped veteran batsmen Callum Ferguson and Tom Cooper from their JLT Sheffield Shield squad for next week's clash with Queensland as they look to claim a first win of what has been a forgettable season.

Cooper is the Redbacks' leading run-scorer this Shield season (517 runs at 34.46) but has paid the price for a run of four single-figure scores since returning from the KFC Big Bash break.

Ferguson meanwhile, is averaging 24.21 from 14 Shield innings across the summer.

"It's a little bit frustrating," coach Jamie Siddons told media on Wednesday. "We're doing the right things, but senior players like 'Ferg' and 'Coops' averaging in the 30s and 20s, that's not ideal.

"We're trying to find the answers for that, and they're trying to find them as much as we are.

"Ferg, Cooper, even the likes of Lehmo (Jake Lehmann) and the four- and five-year players are not performing as you'd expect – they're the ones who should be holding us together, the glue.

"They're having a reasonably bad year and they need to turn that around."


Sturt captain Brad Davis is poised to make his first-class debut, joining Kelvin Smith as replacements for the experienced pair, while Elliot Opie comes into the 12-man squad for injured paceman Daniel Worrall.

"We felt there had to be some changes, our results required a change in team make-up and direction," said high-performance boss Tim Nielsen in a press release issued today.

"We've been playing below expectations this season and we've wanted much more from our experienced players through the tougher periods.

"We require these senior players to show the way, particularly when we have been without other senior players through international duties or injuries.

"The team has had far too many really poor patches that have put us under pressure and cost us opportunities to be competitive or be in winning positions.

"The three incoming players have all performed well in Premier Cricket and the Futures League and deserve a chance to impress in the last two Shield games."

Davis, 29, has made three Premier Cricket First Grade centuries for Sturt this season on top of making two hundreds in the Toyota Futures League earlier this season.

Smith, who has scored five First Grade tons for West Torrens this season among his 904 runs at an average of 129.14, played a Shield game before Christmas but was squeezed out of the side when captain Travis Head returned last month.

Fast-medium bowler Opie has played two Sheffield Shield games but has not appeared since the 2015-16 final.

Alex Carey and Adam Zampa are with the Australian limited-overs squad in India and Kane Richardson has returned home after suffering a left side strain while on national duty.

South Australia's 12-player squad: Travis Head (c), Tom Andrews, Brad Davis, Jake Lehmann, Conor McInerney, Joe Mennie, Harry Nielsen, Elliot Opie, Luke Robins, Kelvin Smith, Jake Weatherald, Nick Winter.