By JARROD POTTER
GETTING the call up to the Victorian Invitational XI was a great shock for Dandenong skipper Tom Donnell.
Mostly because the Panthers’ opening batsman didn’t even know there was a tour match scheduled this weekend, as he was looking ahead to the resumption against Camberwell.
Continuing Geelong’s push to get more top-tier cricket to Simonds Stadium, the region will host a two-day tour match between the Victorians – Premier Cricket’s best and brightest – and the beleaguered West Indies starting on Saturday.
“I didn’t even really know there was a game on to be honest,” Donnell said. “There are a lot of good players around, and I didn’t really think about it enough and I guess I was lucky enough to get the chance.”
The side, which features some of Victoria’s best young talent, will be captained by all-rounder Ian Holland and also features teammates Travis Dean and Aaron Ayre.
After cashing in early this Premier season – already up to 458 runs before the Christmas break – Donnell was pleased to get the call up and a chance to give the Windies a run for their money.
“It’s pretty good – bit of a good surprise I suppose and I’m looking forward to it,” Donnell said.
“Bit disappointed that I can’t play for Dandenong on Saturday, but it should be good fun.
“It’s going to be a good challenge – obviously with the bowlers they have and the batsmen they have you don’t come across them every day.
“They’ve got a bit of international experience – not sure if they’ll have a full strength side or what sort of side they’ll put out, so it’s good to play against guys like that and will be a very good challenge.”
While he won’t be there for the conclusion of the round 12 clash against the Magpies, Donnell is keen to see the side take the points and move back inside the top-eight to cap off a strong start to the season.
“If we win this weekend I think that will push us into the eight which is where we want to be around the top eight anyway,” Donnell said.
“We’re getting there; we still need to be a bit more consistent with our performances.
“If we can play finals that would be a good result – the gap between our best and worst is quite a bit and we need to minimise that and play decent cricket every week.”
Victorian Invitational XI will face the West Indies at Simonds Stadium from 10.30am on Saturday.
VICTORIAN INVITATIONAL XI: Ian Holland (C), Aaron Ayre, Jackson Coleman, Travis Dean, Tom Donnell, Matt Doric, Sam Grimwade, Jake Hancock, Jeremy Hart, Dylan Kight, Jackson Koop, Blake Thomson.
