After three consecutive Sheffield Shield and One-Day Cup titles, Western Australia’s men’s side found itself in the unusual position of winning no silverware last season.
Close losses to New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria in the first half of the One-Day Cup meant making the final proved too big of a mountain for WA to climb.
The team’s hopes of making the Sheffield Shield Final came down to the final day of the final game of the regular season against Victoria, where a win would’ve seen them progress to the final against South Australia in Adelaide.
Such was the tight nature of last season’s competition, the defending champions ultimately fell 34 runs short in the final match, which saw them finish the season in sixth position just 4.33 points behind second-placed Queensland.
The fine margins that saw the side miss both finals last year could easily see them catapult back into contention in season 2025-26.
This year’s squad has, once again, got a healthy blend of experience and youth, as well as plenty of international experience.
Test all-rounder Cameron Green has already flagged his intention to make himself available for early rounds of the Sheffield Shield season, with three of WA’s first four matches to be played at the WACA Ground.
Dynamic wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis’ Sheffield Shield availability will also be keenly observed, having established himself as Alex Carey’s deputy and a viable specialist batter option in the Test Match arena.
The stunning rise of batting all-rounder Cooper Connolly continued in Australia’s recent One-Day International series against South Africa, taking his first five-wicket haul.
Connolly’s form with the bat in two intrasquad matches suggested he was well placed to have another productive summer for his state.
Fellow batting all-rounder Aaron Hardie, who was a last-minute withdrawal from the Australia A tour of India this month, will be hoping for a strong season in the black and gold, after missing out on a Cricket Australia contract earlier this year.
While Australian T20 Captain Mitch Marsh signed a deal with the Perth Scorchers that will take him to the end of BBL|17 and has him poised to play a big role in orange this season, there’s set to be plenty of interest around his availability for One-Day Cup games.
While the international representatives will have a big bearing on the side’s fortunes, the fitness of the fast-bowling cartel is also set to be critical.
With Lance Morris sidelined due to a back injury, fellow quicks Joel Paris, Bryce Jackson, Brody Couch, Mahli Beardman and Jhye Richardson are all set to play a key role through the season.
Equally important will be the role of Matt Kelly and Liam Haskett, who have endured frustrating injury runs of their own over the past 12 months.
The experienced group of quicks will be joined by lively duo Jordan Quiggin and Albert Esterhuysen, who both earned their first state contracts for season 2025-26.
The squad will again be led by experienced pair Ashton Turner and Sam Whiteman in the white and red ball formats respectively.
Turner recently returned from the UK, where he helped Lancashire to the semi-finals of the Vitality Blast and featured in The Hundred for London Spirit.
Whiteman had his own injury battles last season, which saw him restricted to six Sheffield Shield games.
The 33-year-old said he’s optimistic some of the younger batters in the squad were ready to make the most of their opportunities this season.
“Guys like Sam Fanning, Teague Wyllie, Jayden Goodwin and Joel Curtis, with gloves as well, has scored a lot of runs already,” he said.
“I think that young cohort of batters have done their time over the last three or four years.
“No doubt we’ve had some tough conditions, but I think these guys are really going to hit the ground running this year.”
WA will start their 2025-26 Sheffield Shield campaign with a keenly anticipated clash against New South Wales at the WACA Ground on October 4.
Having won five of the past eight One-Day Cup competitions, WA heads into this year’s edition of the tournament looking to return to winning ways when their campaign starts on Sunday against Queensland.