Wade pleads for retention of final

Victoria skipper Matthew Wade has made an impassioned plea for the Sheffield Shield final to be retained in its current form after his side became the first visiting team in 11 years to claim the season decider.

Wade has now skippered the Bushrangers to back-to-back Shield titles while the win in Adelaide was his fourth overall as a player, an achievement he says is "right up there" in a career that's already included 12 Tests and 86 limited overs matches for his country.

And he says doing away with the season decider would be a "ridiculous" decision that would deny the best young players in the country the chance to perform in the high-pressure environment of a final.

Quick Single: Gripping Shield final a blueprint for future editions

Under the current format, the Shield final is a five-day match - as opposed to the four-day contests that are played throughout the season - with the hosts going on to win the title by virtue of finishing on top of the table after the regular season should the match end in a draw.

The format has resulted in several dour affairs in recent seasons, with the home side preparing batsmen-friendly pitches to decrease the chances of losing the match and thus raising the prospect of winning the title.

It led outgoing Cricket Australia chairman Wally Edwards and current CEO James Sutherland to comment late last year that the season finale had under-delivered as a spectacle, putting the future of the concept in doubt.

The final is expected to be retained, at least in the short term, but ESPN Cricinfo is reporting that future titles may only be awarded to the outright winner of the match.

While CA is yet to announce the exact format of the decider for the 2016-17 season, Wade has pleaded for the format to remain the same.

"I don't like it, I don't like that at all," Wade said when asked about the prospect of teams needing to win the final outright to claim the title.

"I understand if there is a reason or if there is a logical way to go to change the Shield final, I'm all for that.

"But at the moment there's no clear cut decisive way that we should go, so just leave it how it is.

"I know everyone has spoken about how you can't win from second, (they) produce flat wickets and the (home) team just bats and bats. Well, this game of cricket is as good as any game of cricket you're ever going to watch.

"It to-and-froed for three or four days and we weren't home until we managed to get a few over the rope this afternoon.

"We've just proven that you can win from second and it was terrific game of cricket.

"People who came out to watch this game of cricket would be more than happy when they went home that they had seen a great game."

Quick Single: Victoria surge to back-to-back Shield titles

Wade added that the five-day match provides players at domestic level with a unique opportunity to play in conditions that are closely aligned to what they would experience in the Test match arena.

The Bushrangers selected two spinners in their side for the match against the Redbacks with the view that an extra day of wear and tear on the wicket would make them more effective as the match wore on.

Wade pointed to the standout performances of Bushrangers youngsters Travis Dean and Peter Handscomb as well as Redbacks duo Jake Weatherald and Daniel Worrall - who are all aged 24 or under - as proof that the best young players in the country gain valuable experience in a final.

And he said the pitch prepared by curator Justin Groves at Glenelg's Gliderol Stadium provided a perfect test of ability and mental fortitude for all players.

"To put young players in a situation where there’s no next week, you can’t go out and perform next week, you have to perform on that day (and) in that game, those guys that come out and do that when they get to the next level they’ll be able to draw back on that experience," he said.

"So that’s why at times it’s frustrating when people talk about Shield finals (that if) you finish on top you go on and win it. Well, we’ve just proved that that’s not the case.

"And the case to have young players play under pressure, Worrall and (Redbacks quick Joe) Mennie wouldn’t have bowled that many overs in a normal game.

"If the year was over, our guys wouldn’t have had to face them under pressure time and time again.

"Their bowlers, to get the experience to bowl where there’s no prizes for second, just shows that the Shield final’s a valuable game in our schedule.

"That was a great pitch, an unbelievable pitch.

"If we're talking about experience for younger players as well, then there's no better experience than playing fifth day on a wicket that is spinning against quality spinners.

"So I would love to see more pitches like that."