REIGNING Steve Waugh Medalist and former Test batsman Ed Cowan has been sensationally dumped from NSW’s season-opening Sheffield Shield side.

Cowan made more runs than anyone else in domestic cricket last summer and was one of only two batsmen to score three centuries, but he won’t be David Warner’s opening partner when the Blues take on South Australia under lights at Adelaide Oval on Friday.

Blues coach Trent Johnston described the decision to overlook Cowan as the toughest of his coaching tenure.

“NSW is fortunate that we have a wealth of talent available for our first game,” Johnston said.

WHO’S NEXT? Heat’s on as Shield begins

“It was always going to be a tough decision. We had to weight up past form with current form.

“Ed has been outstanding during the Sheffield Shield over the past two seasons and has an excellent record against the pink ball.”

There was always going to be an unlucky victim with Warner and Steve Smith returning to the top order for the opening three rounds, however even at 35 years of age, it would appear a massive call to axe arguably the country’s leading domestic batsman just months after he was crowned NSW’s player of the year.

NSW are instead set to partner recently used Test batsman Nic Maddinson with Warner as opener, and the form run-maker from the one-day cup Daniel Hughes is slated to slot into the middle-order, most likely at No.6.

Steve Smith will be at 3, and Test hopefuls Kurtis Patterson and Moises Henriques at No.4 and 5 respectively.

It’s unknown whether the edict to look to younger players has come from higher up at Cricket Australia, with a suggestion Hughes might be a player selectors have their eye on for representative honours.

However, it seems bizarre that NSW would drop their best batsman when Cowan shapes as the backbone of the batting line-up for the long season ahead when the likes of Warner and Smith return to Test level.

Cowan averaged 73.76 last season scoring just shy of 1000 runs, and although he no longer seems to be a consideration for Test selection, older players like Chris Rogers, Adam Voges and Michael Klinger have shown in recent years how valuable they can be for an Australian system desperate for more batsmen to stand up.

It’s understood Cowan is extremely disappointed with the decision and the potential to now miss the opening three Shield matches shapes as a huge blow for a player who doesn’t play Big Bash.

NSW will field a bumper side for the opening three rounds, with Peter Nevill eyeing off a return to the Australian keeping spot to come in at No.7 for the Blues ahead of Test quicks Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon — with Doug Bollinger trying to fend off challenges from young bowlers to book the only remaining spot in the attack.

Western Australia are the other side absolutely stacked both with Test talent and leading candidates vying to make the side.

Coach Justin Langer, who led the Warriors to one-day Cup victory over the weekend, must find a way to fit Shaun and Mitchell Marsh, Hilton Cartwright, Marcus Stoinis, Cameron Bancroft, Michael Klinger and Ashton Turner into a top six.

Shaun Marsh is only a few months younger than Ed Cowan at 34 years of age, but Langer says the left-hander is cherry-ripe for an Ashes Test recall.

“I’ve known Shaun since he was a little kid, I’ve never seen him bat as well as he’s batting at the moment,” said Langer.

Meanwhile, Steve Smith says he sympathises with some of Usman Khawaja’s frustrations on the subcontinent but claims the No.3 has been given a chance to prove himself in those conditions.

Khawaja said last week he felt selectors had created instability in the batting order by chopping and changing based on conditions, however, Smith disagreed.

“I think he’s had a few opportunities on the subcontinent and just hasn’t gone to that level that he has done in Australia,” Smith told Fox Sports’ The Back Page.

“He’s been magnificent here in Australia — I think he averages 60-odd.

“So he probably hasn’t adapted as well as we would’ve liked, and for that he hasn’t got the opportunities in the last couple of series.

“It’s always difficult — I think he had six months where he didn’t play a game of cricket, which is tough for a professional cricketer.

“So it was tough, and he’s talking his mind now, but I don’t completely agree with everything he says.”