With a new sponsor and a new format to recommend it, the 1992-93
domestic one-day season was one which signalled quite a changing of the
guard at this level. Previously, there had been consistent calls for all
the state teams to meet each other at least once in the competition's
preliminary rounds. It was not until Mercantile Mutual's arrival as the
Cup's major sponsor, though, that the revision was finally effected.
Nonetheless, the change was not made without the accompaniment of some
angst, particularly on the basis of scheduling. Questions were raised
about a number of the aspects of the program, not the least of them
Western Australia's completion of all five of its games inside the first
three weeks of the season. As matters transpired, though, this actually
worked to the Sandgropers' disadvantage: by the time they appeared in a
semi-final against Victoria, they had not played in a one-day fixture
for almost four months and performed accordingly.
New South Wales won for itself the honour of being the first team to claim a Mercantile
Mutual Cup title, doing so after completing a hard-fought four wicket
win over Victoria in Sydney. If a somewhat unspectacular game, the Final
at least provided a fitting conclusion in the sense that it featured a
continuation of a tale of disappointing batting in the main on a far
from difficult pitch. The gritty Paul Nobes (41) and all-rounder Neil
Maxwell (34) made handy contributions in the visitors' tally of 186 but
bowlers Brad McNamara (3/27) and Gavin Robertson (2/35) made full use of
a slowish surface and ensured that the Victorians' total was never
likely to be challenging enough. While the home team did not have it all
its own way in the afternoon session, Michael Bevan (64*) and Michael
Slater (54) duly saw it safely across the line.
While a handful of
batsmen were able to finish the competition with particularly impressive
averages, many matches featured the dominance of ball over bat. In each
of the first four games for instance, the sides which batted first were
unable to accumulate anywhere near sufficient totals and were all on the
end of comprehensive defeats as a result. It wasn't until Adelaide
hosted fixtures for the first time for the season - and New South Wales
compiled 3/293 and South Australia 6/249 to set up wins - that a break
in the pattern finally came. Even then, it represented no more than a
temporary shift; Matthew Hayden (with 121* against Western Australia)
and Steve Waugh (131 against Queensland) the only players to score
centuries during the remainder of the Cup program as bowling attacks
continued to hold sway. In a pointer to the paucity of runs on offer,
Waugh's 269-run tally represented the highest individual batting
aggregate for the entire Cup season.
To a large extent, it was pacemen
who instead stole the individual honours. Western Australia's Brendon
Julian led the way with eleven wickets in six games - no return more
impressive than his 3/31 in the Sandgropers' eight wicket win over New
South Wales in Perth. Fellow fast bowlers Maxwell, Jamie Sutherland
(both keys in guiding Victoria into the Final), Peter McPhee (from
Tasmania) and Michael Kasprowicz (Queensland) similarly exerted a great
deal of influence, each capturing significant hauls of wickets and
bowling with good economy for the most part. Spinners Steve Storey
(Queensland) and Tim May (South Australia) also enjoyed successful
campaigns; May's return of five wickets from four games viewed in so
distinguished a light, in fact, that it ultimately led to a recall to
the national team.
Having complemented the new format with the offer of
monetary jackpots to batsmen and viewers - a first at state level - in
the event that any delivery be hit into either of two strategically
placed signs on the straight boundaries at each of the grounds,
Mercantile Mutual's introduction to so prized a place on the Australian
cricket scene was generally interpreted as a success. Administrators,
players and spectators all seemed to be content with the change in
direction. Moreover, the developments of 1992-93 ultimately proved a
springboard for further innovations, the season becoming the starting
point of a long and very fruitful relationship between the insurer and
the Australian Cricket Board.
Mercantile Mutual Cup
Top Run Scorers |
| Player |
Runs |
Average |
Strike Rate |
Team |
| SR Waugh |
269 |
89.66 |
85.12 |
NSW |
| PC Nobes |
253 |
36.14 |
57.23 |
VIC |
| ML Hayden |
250 |
125.00 |
65.10 |
QLD |
| JL Langer |
237 |
79.00 |
55.37 |
WA |
| MA Taylor |
233 |
58.25 |
63.83 |
NSW |
|
|
Mercantile Mutual Cup
Top Wicket Takers |
| Player |
Wickets |
Average |
Economy Rate |
Team |
| BP Julian |
11 |
20.00 |
1.98 |
WA |
| ND Maxwell |
9 |
15.22 |
2.12 |
VIC |
| JA Sutherland |
9 |
19.33 |
1.77 |
VIC |
| MS Kasprowicz |
8 |
21.75 |
1.86 |
QLD |
| PT McPhee |
8 |
20.00 |
1.60 |
TAS |
|
|
