The Shield's been on a bit of a break but resumes with four rounds remaining and many Test stars in action
It's back! Get up to speed as the Sheffield Shield resumes
After a six-week break, the Sheffield Shield returns on Thursday.
There are only four rounds remaining before this summer's final, with six completed before Christmas. Which two teams will go through to the decider on March 26-29? And which sides will be strengthened by the return of Test players?
Find out all that information and more below.
Round seven fixtures:
February 5-8: NSW v South Australia, SCG
February 5-8: Victoria v Queensland, MCG
February 5-8: Western Australia v Tasmania, WACA Ground
All matches streamed live and free on the CA Live app and cricket.com.au
Standings
| Team | M | W | L | D | N/R | Ded. | Bat | Bowl | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
VIC
|
6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.87 | 5.3 | 41.17 |
|
2
QLD
|
6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8.18 | 4.2 | 26.38 |
|
3
SA
|
6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4.69 | 5.6 | 24.29 |
|
4
NSW
|
6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4.65 | 4.9 | 22.55 |
|
5
TAS
|
6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3.34 | 5 | 19.34 |
|
6
WA
|
6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.61 | 5.5 | 15.11 |
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
D: Drawn
N/R: No results
Ded.: Deductions
Bat: Batting Bonus
Bowl: Bowling Bonus
PTS: Total points
It's Victoria in pole position with a commanding 14.79-point lead over the next-best Queensland. With six points available for a victory (before batting and bowling bonus points are added), they essentially have a two-game gap on the rest of the competition with only four rounds remaining.
While the Vics are heavy favourites to host the final, there's plenty of jostling still to happen to decide who also qualifies for the decider by finishing second. Four teams have two wins with only 7.04 points separating second and fifth.
Queensland's batting has been their strength, with a competition high 8.18 batting bonus points, and they sit second. Reigning champions South Australia have been the most prolific on the bowling bonus point front, with 5.6.
New South Wales took momentum into the break with a crushing 341-run win over the Bulls, while Tasmania and Western Australia desperately need to string some wins together to keep their hopes alive.
Who's available?
With only five of Australia's Test squad regulars in the T20 World Cup squad, it leaves the door wide open for many stars of the Baggy Green to finish off the season with their state.
Ladder leaders Victoria will welcome back off-spinner Todd Murphy but might have to be patient with Ashes hero Scott Boland. Boland, who played all five Tests against England, is unlikely to play in round seven against Queensland but it's understood he'll be available for the Vics' final matches of the campaign. Boland has captured 14 wickets (at 17.67) in his three Shield games this campaign.
Queensland are likely to have their big names available; Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser and captain Usman Khawaja, who called it quits from internationals ahead of the fifth Ashes Test. The Bulls are also hopeful Matt Renshaw will have returned from Pakistan in time for their clash with Victoria.
The South Australians will be without the World Cup-bound Travis Head, but could be bolstered by the return of two Shield winners in Alex Carey and Brendan Doggett.
It's understood that NSW aren't expecting either Steve Smith or Mitch Starc to be available to face South Australia, with both taking some well-earned time off following a big Ashes campaign and a handful of high-intensity Big Bash matches.
Tasmania desperately need to get onto a winning streak to keep their final hopes alive, and will have Jake Weatherald and Beau Webster to bolster their XI against WA.
Western Australia have lost several first-choice players to the T20 World Cup, such as Josh Inglis, Cooper Connolly and Mitch Marsh. Jhye Richardson, who returned to Test cricket on Boxing Day versus England, is far from certain. Cricket Australia managed his return to play following his latest shoulder surgery, meaning Richardson hasn't played in the Shield since November 2024.
Leading runs
Most Runs
| Player | Total |
|---|---|
1
Tim Ward
T Ward
|
443 |
|
2
Peter Handscomb
P Handscomb
|
431 |
|
3
Jake Lehmann
J Lehmann
|
426 |
|
4
Matthew Renshaw
M Renshaw
|
425 |
|
5
Henry Hunt
H Hunt
|
412 |
Tasmanian No.3 batter Tim Ward leads the competition at the Big Bash break with 443 runs at 40.27. He scored 119 against his state of birth, NSW, in November and has been remarkably consistent, out below 20 only twice from 11 innings.
Shield stalwarts Peter Handscomb and Jake Lehmann, awarded the domestic cricketer of the year award, have been excellent too and both have two centuries apiece.
The best average (70.83) belongs to Renshaw, who is also the only batter to have three hundreds already. He hit 128 against Tasmania, 101 against WA and 112 in his last start against Victoria.
Leading wickets
Most Wickets
| Player | Total |
|---|---|
|
1
Cameron Gannon
C Gannon
|
24 |
|
2
Liam Hatcher
L Hatcher
|
22 |
|
3
Mitchell Perry
M Perry
|
22 |
|
4
Matthew Kelly
M Kelly
|
21 |
|
5
Mitch Swepson
M Swepson
|
21 |
|
6
Corey Rocchiccioli
C Rocchiccioli
|
20 |
Despite sitting in last spot on the Shield table, Western Australia have three of the top six wicket-takers in Cameron Gannon (24), Matt Kelly (21) and Corey Rocchiccioli (20).
After playing only four matches last season, 29-year-old Liam Hatcher has been a big surprise with 22 wickets, which included a career-best 5-88 against table-topping Victoria.
Speaking of the Vics, Mitch Perry (22) has claimed the most but he's been well supported by Fergus O'Neill (17), Sam Elliott (16) and Scott Boland (14).
South Australia have the most bowling bonus points (5.6) out of any side and they've shared the load, with six different bowlers capturing between 10 and 17 wickets so far.
Surprise packets
Hobart Hurricanes' batting allrounder Nikhil Chaudhary hadn't played any first-class cricket before this season but smashed 163 in Tasmania's big win over New South Wales in November. Former Australian star Mark Waugh was so impressed that he named Chaudhary as a future Test player on the Fox Cricket broadcast.
Ex-Blue Blake Macdonald broke through for his first century with new state Victoria, when he scored an unbeaten 109 against WA in December.
And don't sleep on NSW’s Charlie Stobo who returned to his state of origin this summer after playing several seasons with WA. As well as a few handy contributions with the bat, he has 13 wickets to his name this season which includes a stunning 5-9 against Queensland.