WA Finalise Men's Squad for 2023-24

The State’s 31-man roster – featuring seven players on Cricket Australia contracts, 20 players on the primary list, and four rookies – largely reflects the squad that guided WA to consecutive Marsh One-Day Cup and Marsh Sheffield Shield titles in 2021-22 and 2022-23.

Young quick Liam Haskett is among three new faces, earning his maiden State contract after impressing for Claremont-Nedlands and WA’s second XI.

A towering left-arm fast bowler renowned for generating considerable bounce, Haskett finished the 2022-23 Alcohol. Think Again First Grade Premier Cricket season with 28 wickets at 17.96 across formats, having taken 19 First Grade scalps the year prior.

Haskett’s excellent form towards the end of the Tigers’ campaign saw him named 12^th man for the regular season Shield contest between WA and Victoria at the WACA Ground, following a disciplined performance against South Australia’s second XI in February.

Exciting Pilbara pace bowlers Mahli Beardman and Josh Vernon have been rewarded for outstanding junior careers with rookie contracts. 

Hailing from Dampier – a remote town of around 1,300 people, based 1,500km north of Perth – the pair secured spots in the initial 15-player Australian U19 squad that played England in Brisbane earlier this year. 

Vernon starred against the old enemy, collecting 11 wickets across formats including 1-65 and 4-40 in the four-day Youth Test; 5-69 in the Youth ODI; and 1-19 in the Youth T20I.

Beardman missed that series through injury, but relished his chance to learn from the most decorated fast bowling division in world cricket, shadowing Australia’s Test side at training and on day one versus the West Indies at Perth Stadium in December.

Meantime, WA confirmed new deals with numerous key pillars of its red ball and white ball teams, headlined by a three-year contract extension for reigning Laurie Sawle medallist Cameron Bancroft.

Premier swing bowlers Joel Paris (three years), Matt Kelly (three) and Jason Behrendorff (two) also tied their futures to WA Cricket on multi-year contracts, as did powerful right-hander Ashton Turner (two), rising stars Teague Wyllie (three) and Corey Rocchiccioli (two), reliable seamer Charlie Stobo (two), and hard-edged opener Jayden Goodwin (two).

Spin-bowling allrounders Cooper Connolly and Hamish McKenzie were promoted to the primary list, filling vacancies left by Shaun Marsh (retired) and David Moody (contract not renewed).

Reflecting on the list, WA Cricket General Manager – High Performance Kade Harvey said:

“Having seven players contracted by Cricket Australia provided us with the opportunity to build depth within the squad and reward strong performances.

“Liam has impressed for Claremont-Nedlands over the last two seasons and deserves his chance.

“Mahli and Josh both have fantastic stories, coming from the same small town in the State’s far north. They also possess a lot of raw pace and are driven to learn, so we’re excited to see how they progress in the coming years.

“Securing a lot of our senior players on multi-year deals is a great result, given their durability and form in recent years.

“Shaun’s contribution to WA Cricket won’t soon be forgotten, while David took more than 100 Sheffield Shield wickets and is an outstanding character. We thank both for their efforts.”

WA Men’s Head Coach Adam Voges said:

“It’s pleasing to keep the squad together.

“They’re a tight-knit group who push each other to improve, and the results of the last two seasons are testament to that fact.

“We’re as committed as ever to achieving sustained success, and stability within the squad plays an important role.”