Victoria to host SA at the Junction Oval after Queensland were bowled out cheaply in Hobart
South Australia secure Shield final berth after Bulls collapse
Queensland's batting capitulation has sealed South Australia's place in the Sheffield Shield final against Victoria.
SA's hopes of clinching consecutive Shield titles for the first time remains alive with the five-day decider (beginning March 26) set to be a rematch of the ongoing contest between the current reigning champions and runaway ladder-leaders Victoria.
The Bulls went into round 10 sitting third and needing to make up ground on second-placed SA, who were 5.78 points ahead but well behind Victoria, who sewed up hosting rights with two matches to play.
SA added an extra 0.05 points to their advantage over Queensland after scoring 305 against Victoria on Saturday, despite the Bulls taking full bowling points as they knocked Tasmania over for 198.
It left Marnus Labuschagne's men needing a solid first-innings effort with the bat at Bellerive Oval. But after top-order guns Matthew Renshaw (10) and Labuschagne (10) were dismissed cheaply, Queensland folded for just 178 on day two.
The four wickets SA had taken against Victoria at the Junction Oval by tea on Sunday afternoon has left them with enough of a buffer to ensure they will now finish second regardless of the outright results in Hobart and Melbourne. An outright win is worth six points.
SA were 6.13 points ahead of Queensland when the final Bulls wicket fell in Hobart.
The result brings Usman Khawaja's first-class career to a close with the veteran (who is sitting out this ongoing Shield round due to the pending birth of his third child) having pulled the pin on Test cricket during the summer and recently confirming this will be his final season for Queensland.
Sheffield Shield 2025-26 standings
* After round nine. See above for live standings
| Team | M | W | L | D | N/R | Ded. | Bat | Bowl | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
VIC
|
9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.68 | 8.3 | 57.98 |
|
2
SA
|
9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6.56 | 8.6 | 42.16 |
|
3
QLD
|
9 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8.18 | 7.2 | 36.38 |
|
4
NSW
|
9 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6.62 | 7.9 | 29.52 |
|
5
TAS
|
9 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3.73 | 7.5 | 29.23 |
|
6
WA
|
9 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2.09 | 8.2 | 19.29 |
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
D: Drawn
N/R: No results
Ded.: Deductions
Bat: Batting Bonus
Bowl: Bowling Bonus
PTS: Total points