Contentious no-ball calls cause day-one drama

Sean Abbott was granted a crucial reprieve in the Marsh Sheffield Shield final, becoming the first beneficiary of a recent rule change that is in effect for the first time in the competition.

Abbott was almost all the way to the New South Wales change rooms at Allan Border Field after edging Xavier Bartlett to Joe Burns at second slip, a dismissal that would have seen the Blues slump to 6-102 during the opening day's second session.

But under changes to the Sheffield Shield's playing conditions introduced last season but only in place for only the first time during the ongoing five-day final, third umpire Donovan Koch was able to review broadcast vision to ensure Abbott had been out to a legal delivery.

Koch found that Bartlett had overstepped the crease, meaning field umpire Sam Nogajski called a no-ball and Abbott survived.

It came a session after a similar review in which Jack Wildermuth was narrowly deemed to have gotten part of his front foot behind the line when he dismissed Daniel Hughes.

The issue of bowlers taking wickets with no-balls missed by the on-field umpires became a talking point during the most recent Sheffield Shield final in 2019.

Blues quick Trent Copeland dismissed Victoria's Seb Gotch and while Fox Cricket's broadcast showed Copeland had overstepped by a considerable distance, the third umpire was unable to overturn the call because the rules did not allow for it.

Regular-season Sheffield Shield games are live streamed on cricket.com.au channels but typically do not feature the technology required to check front foot no balls (or tight run out or stumping calls).

Given there was no Shield final held last summer due to the pandemic, the new television-umpire provisions are in effect for the first time in this final.

"If the umpires are uncertain as to the fairness of the delivery following a dismissal … they shall be entitled to request the batsman to delay leaving the field and to check the fairness of the delivery with the third umpire," CA's Sheffield Shield playing conditions now read.

This is just the second five-day decider to be broadcast by Fox Cricket under the broadcast rights deal signed in 2018.

2021 Marsh Sheffield Shield final

Queensland v NSW Blues at Allan Border Field in Brisbane, April 15-19. Play begins each morning at 9.30am AEST

Queensland squad: Usman Khawaja (c), Xavier Bartlett, Joe Burns, Brendan Doggett, Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Matthew Renshaw, Billy Stanlake, Bryce Street, Mitchell Swepson, Jack Wildermuth

NSW squad: Sean Abbott, Harry Conway, Trent Copeland, Jack Edwards, Matthew Gilkes, Josh Hazlewood, Lachlan Hearne, Baxter Holt, Daniel Hughes, Nathan Lyon, Peter Nevill, Kurtis Patterson, Jason Sangha, Tanveer Sangha, Mitchell Starc

The 2021 Marsh Sheffield Shield final will be broadcast LIVE in Australia on Foxtel & Kayo Sports. ABC Grandstand's live radio coverage will also be available on cricket.com.au & the CA Live app. Viewers in NZ can watch via Sky Sport, while fans in other countries can stream via Facebook HERE