Sheffield Shield 2020-21: NSW skipper Peter Nevill apologises to Mitchell Starc for denying him a century

The 8th match of the ongoing Sheffield Shield season in Australia between New South Wales and Tasmania was in the news over the last few days. First it was the NSW team getting bowled out to just 64 runs in the first innings that led to a few stats going against them and then it was their skipper Peter Nevill’s declaration in the second innings that denied Mitchell Starc a well deserved hundred.

For the unversed, NSW put up a brilliant batting display in their second essay. They were trailing by 175 runs but centuries from Nick Larkin, Moises Henriques and Sean Abbott led them to amassing 522/6. Nevill decided to declare the innings soon after Abbott got to his ton but at the same time, Mitchell Starc was unbeaten on 86 at the other end.

The duo had added a massive 189* runs together for the seventh wicket and Starc was looking in great nick to get to the three-figure score. But the declaration led to the left-arm pacer fuming at his skipper and the video of him throwing his bat in anger also surfaced. The NSW captain, Nevill, however, has now apologised to him and stated that it was important for his team to bowl at the opposition before stumps.

Peter Nevill also conceded that Mitchell Starc was frustrated as he was batting well in the middle. “We have had a bit of a chat about it. I did apologise to him as well, I’d love for him to get that milestone but the most important thing was us having a crack at them for 45 minutes or whatever it was last night. To get two key wickets last night made the job today that much easier.

“He’s obviously frustrated because he was batting really well and close to getting a hundred. They’ll be another opportunity for him, no doubt, if he keeps batting that way,” Nevill said after the match according to ESPNCricinfo.

NSW win the match by 145 runs

As far as the match is concerned, NSW won the match sensationally by 145 runs which is being termed as one of the brilliant comebacks. They were bowled out for just 64 runs and then they ended up winning by a huge margin. After declaring the second innings at 522, Tasmania needed 348 runs to win. But they could only score 202 runs with Starc leading the way with the ball picking three wickets.