Third-string keeper for his state, NSW rookie Ryan Carters could soon find himself on the radar of Australian selectors following a starring role in the rained out Sheffield Shield clash with Queensland.
Carters earned man-of-the-match honours courtesy of a brilliant 154 which helped secure NSW first innings points at the SCG, before adding 67 in the second innings to give the Blues a sniff of outright points.
Rain on Monday thwarted any chance of a result, but there was plenty to gain for Carters with his performance following classy knocks of 94 and 40 against England in a tour match at the SCG last week.
At just 23, he could soon be considered alongside 28-year-old Tim Paine, 28-year-old Peter Nevill and 25-year-old Matthew Wade as potential successors to Test keeper Brad Haddin.
With just 14 first class games to his name, Carters is third-string at NSW behind Haddin and stand-in skipper Nevill.
But his future is very bright, coach Trevor Bayliss said.
“He’s got very good concentration, he’s a guy that can bat anywhere from one to seven,” Bayliss said.
“He can bat down the lower order. But he’s a guy that, once he gets in, he can actually move the scoring along.
“That’s a good sign (to have) someone who can get set and up the scoring rate.
“It’s great to have those types of guys in your batting lineup.
“I think he’s got a good future in front of him.”
Carters showed poise and patience to master a tricky SCG wicket before cashing in with big scores.
They are two traits which appear to be eluding Test hopeful Usman Khawaja.
Khawaja twice threw away his wicket with careless slashes at wide deliveries – dismissed for 25 on Monday before rain forced an early end to the game with Queensland on 3-123 chasing 313 for victory.
The 26-year-old’s form in the domestic one-day tournament shot him into contention for an Ashes spot.
But selectors have no desire to change their top six after the monster 381-run win in the opening Test at the Gabba, and Khawaja is hardly forcing their hand either.
“Usman is Usman, he’s been scoring runs and batting really well,” Bulls teammate Nathan Hauritz, who took seven wickets for the match, said.
“He’s hitting the ball well and doing everything right. You just need a little bit of luck.
“When you’re facing guys like Dougy (Bollinger) who have got the full steam up, you can’t really relax at all.”
With the first innings points banked, NSW move to 12 points on top of the Sheffield Shield ladder, while Queensland slip down to last following Western Australia’s outright victory over Victoria.
