McKay recalled for Vics' Shield final squad

Victoria have recalled former Australia seamer Clint McKay in their 13-man squad for the Sheffield Shield final, which gets underway against South Australia in Glenelg on Saturday.

After securing a spot in the decider with a thrilling draw against New South Wales in last week in Alice Springs, the Bushrangers have added McKay to their squad as they seek to defend their Shield title.

Having selected two spinners in Fawad Ahmed and Jon Holland against the Blues to take advantage of a dry Traegar Park pitch, Victoria Chairman of Selectors Andrew Lynch has suggested McKay could come into the side for the final if conditions aren’t as spin-friendly in Adelaide.

"Clint McKay comes in as it is important to cover all options until we have a look at the wicket,” he said.

"It was nice to get a tough, hard game under our belts last week and the boys have freshened this week and will be ready to go.

"It was great to see Cam White and Marcus Stoinis in the runs so hopefully the rest of our batters can follow their lead as we are confident we have the bowlers to claim 20 wickets.”

Stoinis propped up Victoria’s first innings against NSW with his third first-class century while White, who wasn’t picked for the Bushrangers’ Shield team until after the KFC Big Bash break, came through with a crucial 97 in the second dig.

His five-and-a-half hour stay at the crease helped deny the Blues the six points that would have ended Victoria’s season.

The Bushrangers went into the game at the top of the Shield ladder, a spot they had occupied for most of the season, but surrendered it in the final round to South Australia, who leapfrogged Queensland, NSW as well as Victoria with a crushing two-day, innings-and-78-runs win over wooden-spooners Tasmania.

By virtue of finishing in first position, the Redbacks receive hosting rights and with the Adelaide Oval unavailable due to the beginning of the AFL season, they will look to claim their first Sheffield Shield title in 20 years at Gliderol Stadium in Glenelg.

With the home side only requiring a draw in the final to claim the silverware, the odds are stacked against Victoria.

The last time the second-placed team won the Shield final was in 2005, when Nathan Bracken led NSW to a thrilling one-wicket victory over Queensland in a low-scoring tussle at the Gabba.

Victoria claimed last year’s Shield title after holding out for a draw against Western Australia, but South Australia coach Jamie Siddons was adamant his side would push for an outright win in this year’s final.

Quick Single: Aggressive SA won't play for draw: Siddons

"We'll play the way we've played all year and that means we'll score quite quickly and hopefully we won't lose wickets in clumps like we have all year," Siddons said.

"We're pretty confident that we can put a good score on the board and give ourselves a chance of winning the game.

"I seriously don't think it'll be a drawn game."