Moises to lead as greats return for 'back to the future' Blues

Moises Henriques will return as NSW Blues captain this summer as the state attempts to rebound from one of their worst Sheffield Shield seasons in their 130-year history.

As part of a self-titled "back to the future" approach, new men's head coach Greg Shipperd has also added Aussie and state greats Michael Bevan and Shane Watson to the Blues program as consultants.

Bevan, one of Australia's greatest one-day batters with an average of 53.58 from 232 ODIs, will provide specialist batting coaching while Watson, who recently secured his first senior head coach role with the San Francisco Unicorns in the Major League Cricket tournament, will offer mentoring and mindset training to players.

Former captain Kurtis Patterson was dropped for the final match of the 2022-23 Marsh Sheffield Shield after two seasons at the helm as the Blues finished the season winless for the first time in 84 years and only the second time in their history.

The left-hander paid the price for a poor end to the season where he passed 50 once in seven innings after the Big Bash and stepped down following the end of the season to focus on returning to top form.

Henriques, who stepped in for Patterson in the final Shield match, returns as full-time captain having already led the state in 20 Sheffield Shield and 16 Marsh One-Day Cup matches since 2009-10.

Other changes at the Blues ahead of the upcoming summer include a selection panel overhaul, with former Australia fast bowler Stuart Clark, a current committee member of Sutherland District Cricket Club, was critical of selection decisions during a commentary stint on ABC Radio during last summer's Boxing Day Test.

Another former Australia quick, Geoff Lawson, has also been added to the panel, with the pair joining Shipperd, Cricket NSW Chief of Cricket Performance, Greg Mail, and former Blues player and coach David Freedman.

CNSW CEO, Lee Germon, said the appointments support NSW’s vision to become a world-class organisation.

"No one at Cricket NSW was happy with what happened last season and we have now taken steps to turn things around, with the aim to build consistent success," Germon said.

"All of these guys come with extremely accomplished resumes, and they have NSW cricket and the Blues in their DNA. That will bring a renewed edge to our structure and the playing group.

"The program is now being led by Greg Mail and Greg Shipperd and the playing squad, led by Moises (Henriques), have knuckled down in the off-season and are determined to challenge for titles.

"Now, by bringing in the collective experience and world class skills of Michael Bevan and Shane Watson, we have added to our off-field support structure.

"Geoff Lawson and Stuart Clark are synonymous with the NSW Blues and have always maintained a connection with the game. They 'bleed Blue', just like Greg Mail and David Freedman.

"It really is 'back to the future' for us this season and we are confident we are in a better position now than we were prior to these changes."

NSW will play practice matches against Victoria at Cricket Central in early September before launching their domestic season with a Marsh One-Day Cup match against Tasmania at Junction Oval in Melbourne on September 27.

They then begin their quest for Sheffield Shield redemption on October 4 against Queensland at Cricket Central.