The opening round of Carlton Mid Premier Grade one-day games has been run and won, but some teams will be hastily turning their eye to the shortest format this week as the T20 League kicks off at DXC Arena. Modern day powerhouse Southern Districts take on Palmerston on Tuesday night from 6pm, to be followed by a blockbuster clash between PINT and Waratah at the same venue 48 hours later. Many club presidents and captains have stated their goals and ambitions for the three formats, so we've cast our eye over each side to provide some further insight. Stay tuned for the PINT and Waratah T20 previews tomorrow, followed by Nightcliff and Tracy Village on Tuesday. Darwin and the NT side will finalise our comprehensive wrap on Wednesday.
PINT GREENS
President Simon Lavers said before the season that the Greens would be hunting for success in the limited overs formats this year, and the men from Marrara are certainly heading in the right direction with a workmanlike victory against the Crocs on a spin-friendly wicket. There may be some unavailability for the first two T20s, as PINT play this Thursday and next Tuesday night in a jam-packed schedule, relying on the quality of their imports and squad depth. Opening bat Coby Edmondstone has started 2024 strongly, joint top scoring and taking four wickets as the spinners ran riot at Freds Pass. Newly minted captain Farzan Chowna demonstrated some tactical nous by bowling first on Gerry Wood Oval and opening with spin, a shrewd manouevre as the slow men took eight out of the 10 Crocs wickets to fall. They'll be up against a top notch Tahs batting order this Thursday night, but this looks like a different PINT with a quality top five and three high calibre spinners to utilise. The club made semi-finals in this format last year, so will be hoping for at least a similar result in 2024.
WHAT TO EXPECT:
A well-drilled unit out to make some waves after an underwhelming two previous seasons. PINT were impressive in all three facets against the standout team over the last half-decade, and did not wilt in the face of some tight bowling and parochial local support in pursuit of a low score. There'll be plenty of quick singles and hard running on display, mixed with some ostensible technical strokeplay. The Greens are potentially light on fast bowling options, but the experience and quality of Edmondstone, Mitchell Doolan and Brad Ilott will more than make up for a sporadic lack of airspeed in the attack.
PLAYER TO WATCH:
There is known quality in the batting order with established names like Edmondstone and Chowna returning, so a player like Essendon's Connor Poulton could be a genuine steal for the Greens. The dimunitive wicketkeeper's glovework on a difficult wicket was exceptional, and his 28 in a 55-run partnership for the fifth wicket with Victorian clubmate Prasanna Ketheeshwaran was critical in getting PINT home after teetering at 4/62. Poulton's soft hands with gloves and willow made him look right at home in his first game in Darwin, and the Greens will be hoping he can continue that throughout the season with some potential outs for this format.