“I can’t believe it”: Mike Whitney blasts Cricket NSW after Sheffield Shield champions leave them embarrassed.

Iconic NSW fast bowler Mike Whitney has expressed his disappointment regarding the state cricket association’s inability to keep hold of elite players, voicing his concerns over the significant decline of the once formidable pipeline of Test cricketers from the Blues.

Whitney couldn’t help but grimace as he observed several players, who had moved on from Cricket NSW, playing pivotal roles in South Australia’s consecutive Sheffield Shield victories in Melbourne on Monday.

“I couldn’t believe it. Look at all those former Blues players on that team—six blokes running around! It’s unbelievable!” Whitney shared with Wide World of Sports.

The six ex-NSW players celebrating their Sheffield Shield triumph as Redbacks at the Junction Oval include Henry Hunt, Liam Scott, Nathan McAndrew, Jason Sangha, Henry Thornton, and Ben Manenti.

All six players honed their skills in NSW, cutting their teeth in the Sydney grade cricket scene, but have now emerged as standout first-class cricketers in other states.

Nathan McAndrew’s story is particularly intriguing—or disheartening, depending on your perspective.

After years spent striving to break into the NSW Sheffield Shield team without success, the right-arm speedster decided to relocate to South Australia.

He made his debut for the Redbacks in the 2021-22 season at the age of 28.

Since then, McAndrew has dominated, playing more Shield matches (42) than any other fast bowler and taking more wickets (181) than any bowler, including spinners. His bowling average stands at an impressive 23.52, with 11 five-wicket hauls and one 10-wicket match.

He earned the man of the match award in this year’s final after claiming six wickets across both innings, alongside contributing a battling half-century.

“NSW cricket really needs to take a step back and ask themselves how they allowed those players to slip away. Why didn’t they see their potential, and why have they let so many players go?” Whitney remarked.

“I can’t quite wrap my head around it. It’s perplexing.”

“I reckon there are a good number of people in NSW cricket scratching their heads wondering how so many talented players have left.”

Whitney was part of four NSW Shield championship teams during the 1980s and 1990s.

No other state has claimed as many Shield titles as NSW, with a staggering total of 47. The next best, Victoria, has achieved 32 victories in the Australian domestic first-class competition.

However, the Blues have not lifted the Shield since the 2019-20 season and have not appeared in a final since 2020-21.

Last season, they finished in second-last position on the table, which Whitney admits is difficult to digest.

“It pains me to acknowledge that,” he stated.

Besides the six former NSW players who celebrated their achievements with South Australia, numerous others have left Sydney grade cricket and flourished as first-class cricketers elsewhere.

This includes Tasmania’s striking pace bowler Nathan Ellis, who has become a mainstay in Australia’s white-ball squads after making the move south.

There’s a prevalent belief that the emphasis on players in Cricket NSW’s pathways system over high-performing Sydney grade cricketers has prompted many to seek opportunities in other states.

In 2023, former NSW and Australian Test fast bowler Stuart Clark accused the governing body of having a predilection for selecting 19-year-olds over deserving players. Clark has since taken a position on the board of Cricket NSW.

Whitney stated that he has never supported the Cricket NSW pathways system.

“Some young player gets identified at 14, 15, or 16 and a lot of resources are focused on that player,” Whitney added.

“They might have excelled as a teenager, but as they develop, innate talent alone won’t suffice; it’s about resilience, hard work, showing up every day, and striving to score every time they step onto the field.

“Yet because resources have been invested in that individual, there’s a reluctance to overlook them, as doing so might reflect poorly on those who selected them initially. They feel compelled to keep giving them opportunities because they don’t want to admit they wasted years on someone they believed would turn into a talent.”

“I suspect some coaches might feel a bit ashamed when they think, ‘Wow, I really messed that up.’”

“I’ve noticed players consistently performing at a high level in grade cricket year after year, but they’ve never been recognised in the pathways system, only to later develop into standout players at 20 or 21. Unfortunately, they’ve missed out on that initial introduction to the system and end up being overlooked.”

Whitney suggests that Cricket NSW attempts to validate its pathways program by awarding players from this system baggy blue caps, instead of recognising deserving grade cricketers based on merit.

“Absolutely,” asserted the former Australian Test fast bowler, “that has been the case for quite some time.”

It’s often joked in Australian cricket circles that receiving a baggy blue cap is akin to earning a baggy green cap, given NSW’s dominant presence in Test selections.

However, of the 24 players who have debuted for Australia since early 2017, only Kurtis Patterson and Sam Konstas emerged from the Blues.

“We are not producing the calibre of players we once did, and those who have left to join other states are finding success at that level,” Whitney lamented.

“It’s somewhat ridiculous.”

Brad Haddin, who was recently appointed head coach of the NSW Blues following the mid-season dismissal of Greg Shipperd, has publicly committed to revitalising Cricket NSW’s previously esteemed production line of Test cricketers.

“New South Wales is certainly in a bit of a limbo at the moment,” Whitney observed.

“With a new coach coming in, players leaving for opportunities elsewhere, and us having parted ways with our previous coach, I sincerely hope we see some positive changes in the Shield team.”