BIG BASH League rookie Blake Dean will get the perfect chance to regain his confidence when Queanbeyan plays in the SCG Country Cup semi-final at Albion Park on Sunday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Queanbeyan stalwart Mark Higgs has backed Dean to reignite his Big Bash T20 campaign as the Bluebags target a spot in the final of the NSW-wide knockout competition.
Dean made his Big Bash debut for the Sydney Thunder last week, but was dropped for the second game.
To get match practice, Dean joined Queanbeyan in its 29-run win against Dubbo on Saturday to set up a semi-final clash against one of the competition's most successful teams, Hamilton-Wickham.
Dean made one run on a difficult pitch and conceded just 1-21 off his six overs.
''The Thunder released Blake for a couple of days and it's good for him to get some bowling under his belt,'' Higgs said.
''He can come back here, it was tough because we were under pressure the whole way and Blake played an important role for us.''
Queanbeyan made 174 after ACT Comets star Dean Solway scored 60 to give the Bluebags a respectable score.
However, overnight rain made the pitch extremely hard to judge and Queanbeyan battled to 174 after being 4-40 off 20 overs.
Higgs starred with the ball, claiming 4-20 off 9.3 overs and lifting Queanbeyan to a tight win with just two overs to spare.
A star-studded Queanbeyan line-up won the SCG Cup in 2011-12 and Higgs is confident the Bluebags can repeat that effort.
''We've got a good crux of the side, a strong bowling attack and the batsmen to make enough runs,'' Higgs said.
