It’s not fazing the Old Students mentor ahead of a return to competition in the Cricket Shepparton Haisman Shield.
Last weekend’s games were postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak across the state, but Cricket Shepparton is forging ahead with competition this weekend.
“We won’t know until we have training and get there on the day and we’ve still got a few isolating,” Saracino said.
He said he and the club hadn’t tried to emulate the Big Bash League and control what his players had been doing or ask them not to go out, but the club was looking into what it could do to keep players safe when they were at training and at games.
Saracino said keeping players healthy and well was a higher priority than thinking about the cricket, despite this weekend’s match marking a big turning point for the Old Students’ season.
Old Students have beaten the 11th, 12th and 13th-placed sides on the ladder this season with losses to Kyabram, Numurkah and ladder-leader Central Park-St Brendan’s — all top tier sides — and Saracino said the side was about where it deserved to be.
They’re up against another top tier side this weekend in Waaia, but the Students’ mentor is backing in skipper Felix Odell to continue a strong run of form with bat in hand, while Cal McCabe has also been consistent.
The Students’ bowling might be a bit weaker this week, but Connor Hangan, who took seven wickets against Karramomus, and leg-spinner Liam Callegari, who finished with five wickets against Shepparton United, his second five-wicket haul of the season, are in sparkling form.
Saracino said he had to give them a target to defend and they were in with a red-hot chance.
“Waaia have a really strong bowling attack, we’re hoping we can bat out the overs and give our bowlers a target to defend,” he said.
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