Bunbury product Jayden Goodwin looking to continue standout form as WA resume Sheffield Shield season

Bunbury product Jayden Goodwin will be looking to continue a standout season with the bat when WA’s Sheffield Shield campaign resumes on Saturday. After breaking for the Big Bash League, WA will be back in action with the red ball at the WACA Ground against ladder-leaders South Australia. Goodwin has been one of the side’s leading batters this season, backing up an impressive end to the 2023-24 summer which saw him stake his claim for the coveted No.3 slot in the batting line-up. He has made 379 runs in nine innings at an average of 42.1, including scores of 139 and 69 against South Australia in the reverse fixture at Adelaide Oval in November, which ended as a rain-interrupted draw. The son of legendary Zimbabwe and WA batter Murray Goodwin further enhanced his credentials for international cricket on debut for Australia A last week, making 70 to help his side to an innings and 10-run victory over England Lions. WA will be without Goodwin’s fellow Colts Cricket Club product Sam Whiteman, with the team’s captain set to miss the game due to an infected cut on his foot. The West Australian revealed last week Whiteman was at the beach during the Shield break when he picked up the wound. Whiteman’s latest ailment continues an interrupted season for the opening batter, who broke a finger in the pre-season before missing three Shield games due to a side strain. Dunsborough-raised fast bowler Lance Morris has been carefully managed through the summer but played two Shield games before the BBL break and is expected to figure in selection calculations. As they seek an unprecedented fourth consecutive Shield title, WA sit fourth on the ladder with four games remaining and will need to jump into the top two to qualify for the final. * In the Women’s National Cricket League, Bunbury product Chloe Piparo will continue to lead WA as their tough campaign comes to a close. Captaining the side, Piparo made 21 against Victoria at the WACA Ground last Monday in her 100th WNCL game and backed up with 77 against the same opponent at the same venue last Wednesday, with WA losing both matches. WA, who sit bottom of the ladder with only one win for the season, will take on ACT Meteors in a pair of matches in Canberra on Friday and Sunday.