Sam Whiteman and Jayden Goodwin endure tough starts to Sheffield Shield season as WA take on New South Wales

Bunbury’s Sam Whiteman and Jayden Goodwin both endured tough starts to the Sheffield Shield season in difficult batting conditions at the weekend. At an overcast WACA Ground on Sunday, the pair managed only one run apiece as New South Wales made a strong start in defence of their modest total of 170, reducing WA to 3-20 in the early stages of the second innings. Opening the batting, Whiteman was the first wicket to fall, with his inside edge off the bowling of speedster Ryan Hadley pouched by wicketkeeper Matthew Gilkes. Goodwin walked to the wicket at No.3 and was given a stern test by some brilliant bowling from the visitors, with the ball regularly whizzing past his outside edge and some edges from his bat falling short of the slips cordon. His knock came to an end when a slash at a wide Liam Hatcher delivery flew to Hadley at third slip, who claimed the sharp chance. WA were bowled out for 161 on the morning of the third day, leaving them nine runs short of the visitors’ first-innings total. No player from either side managed to raise the bat across the game’s first two days as 20 wickets fell for just 331 runs.