Logjam sets scene for epic Shield finish

The JLT Sheffield Shield regular season is set for a thrilling conclusion next month with just one victory separating first from last on the ladder after a dramatic round seven.

Four of six teams moved at least two ladder positions after a weekend of games that saw Tasmania thrash an undermanned Western Australia, last-placed South Australia upset NSW in Sydney and ladder leaders Queensland secure a draw against defending champions Victoria, who find themselves at the bottom of the table.

And the return from international duty of a host of stars next week will add an intriguing twist to the final three rounds of the regular season.

The Tigers were the biggest winners of round seven, their thumping of WA by an innings and 87 runs earning them 8.5 points and seeing them jump from fifth to second on the ladder ahead of their trip to Sydney to take on NSW in round eight.

Having finished the mid-season break in top spot, the Blues have now dropped to third after consecutive defeats and their seven-wicket loss at the SCG has seen the Redbacks jump off the bottom of the ladder and into fourth.

After their fifth draw of the season, the Vics joined WA in dropping two positions in round seven ahead of what looms as a crucial clash between the two sides in Perth this weekend, with each state set to welcome back a host of big names.

Having travelled to Hobart without 14 of their best players due to a combination of injury and international duty, the Warriors are set to be boosted by the returns of allrounders Marcus Stoinis, Ashton Agar and D'Arcy Short as well as white-ball quick Andrew Tye, while the Vics will be able to call on batting stars Glenn Maxwell and Aaron Finch.

The Redbacks – who will host the Bulls in Adelaide in round eight – also look set to make mass changes despite their victory over the Blues, with skipper Travis Head, wicketkeeper Alex Carey, paceman Kane Richardson and leg-spinner Adam Zampa all available again after Australia's T20 tri-series in New Zealand.

The Bulls aren't likely to welcome back any international stars given injury-prone T20 duo Chris Lynn and Billy Stanlake aren't on their radar for long-form cricket, and their lead at the top of the ladder of just 2.78 points means they are far from assured a spot in the final on March 23-27.

And the complex bonus-point system means the last-placed Bushrangers, who are 8.73 points behind the Bulls and less than six points away from the top two, are still in the running for an historic fourth consecutive title.

The scoring system sees teams earn a bonus of 0.01 points for every run scored above 200 within the first 100 overs of their innings, and a bonus 0.1 for each wicket they take within the first 100 overs.

And based on the thrilling end to the 2015-16 regular season, when South Australia earned almost nine points in the final round to move from fourth to first and earn hosting rights for the final, anything is possible in the coming weeks.