Four changes for Suffolk at Shifnal

SUFFOLK make four changes for their crucial NCCA Trophy Group 2 fixture at Shropshire on Sunday.

Three players – professional George Rhodes, batter Alex Oxley and bowler Alex Cruickshank – will make their first appearances of the campaign in the match at Shifnal CC, start 11am.

Rhodes has recovered from the quadricep injury which ruled out of Suffolk’s 116-run loss to Staffordshire at Mildenhall CC three weeks ago, while Oxley and Cruickshank (pictured bowling above) have previously been unavailable.

The fourth change sees all-rounder Tom Harper back in the starting line-up after featuring in the T20 competition as Adam Jones, Ollie Burle, Dan Shanks and Mark Smith drop out.

All four returning players were members of the Suffolk side that reached the semi-finals in this competition last year, and their presence may kick-start Suffolk’s season.

Suffolk head coach Adam Mansfield said: “We need to produce a performance and get a win on the board. If we lose on Sunday, qualification is then out of our hands.”

Staffordshire outplayed Suffolk in their opening group game and Mansfield Admitted: “It was a difficult game for us. They played better than us and deserved to win.

“I would imagine our lads learnt a lot from the way Staffordshire went about it with the bat. If you can’t bowl consistently then you are going to go for runs.”

The return of Oxley, who Mansfield described as a ‘proven performer’ in National Counties cricket, should bolster the top order.

“It will be good to have him back. He has had a winter away in Belize with his family, and has come back refreshed and hungry to score runs.

“He is a proven performer for us at this level,” said Mansfield, who skippered Suffolk in last season’s 69-run victory over Shropshire in the group stage on his home ground at Sudbury.

He said: “We don’t know too much about them, but Ollie Williams will do his analysis and give us as much information about them as possible.

“They are a strong batting line-up from what I can remember about them last year.”

Suffolk: Alex Maynard, Jack Beaumont, Darren Ironside, George Rhodes, Alex Oxley, Ben Parker, Josh Cantrell (capt), Jacob Marston (wkt), Tom Harper, Alex Cruickshank, Raj Singh. 12^th man: Dan Shanks.

Tags: Adam Mansfield, NCCA 50-over Trophy, Shifnal CC, Shropshire

Categorised in: Suffolk CCC