The Sheffield Shield is back - here's how things stand in the race for the final

Following a hiatus for the BBL, Sheffield Shield cricket returns on Saturday for the final four rounds of the regular season to see who will make it into the final at the end of March amid what is a very tight table after six rounds. Here’s a reminder of how things stand.

1. South Australia

Leading the table, South Australia can dream of playing in their first Sheffield Shield final since 2016-17 and pushing for their first title since 1995-96.

After winning two of their first three matches, SA bounced back from an innings defeat against New South Wales with a hard-fought draw against reigning champions Western Australia before one of the most thrilling wins in Sheffield Shield history when they edged Tasmania by two runs off the final ball of the game. Their penultimate-round match against Victoria shapes as potentially vital.

Opening batter Henry Hunt is currently the leading run-scorer for the season with 537 including three centuries.

Who will they be missing?

Travis Head, Alex Carey and captain Nathan McSweeney are all in the Sri Lanka, although the latter should be available for the round seven match against Tasmania and the remainder of the season. Head and Carey will both be at the Champions Trophy and how deep Australia will progress will determine which games they may be available for in March.

Carey, in theory, should make the last round and be available for any potential final but there will be interesting decision looming around Head, and others with IPL deals, as that tournament starts just before the final although a precedent was set last season when Mitchell Marsh and Cameron Green were in India while WA were playing the decider. Jake Fraser-McGurk and Spencer Johnson have been called up to Australia’s ODI squad and could both feature at the Champions Trophy before heading to the IPL.

2. Victoria

Sitting a little over a point behind SA, Victoria are again well-placed for a spot in the final for the third time in four years having narrowly missed out last summer.

They lost out on a chance to go top when they fell to Queensland by 23 runs in the round before the BBL having overturned a deficit of 109 to beat the same opponents in Brisbane. They have three away trips in the final four rounds.

Peter Handscomb and Marcus Harris have led their run-scoring with over 400 runs apiece and Campbell Kellaway struck a maiden first-class century in the last round. Fergus O’Neill is currently the joint-leading wicket-taker with 22 at 19.31

Who will they be missing?

Scott Boland and Todd Murphy will miss this round of games but should be available after that following the Sri Lanka tour although there may be some workload management for Boland. Matt Short is part of the Champions Trophy squad so will miss at least two rounds and potentially three.

3. New South Wales

NSW were declared champions in the Covid-disrupted 2019-2020 season but have not won the Shield in a full campaign since 2013-14. The game against Victoria in Sydney in round eight could be critical for them.

Kurtis Patterson‘s return to the side with 527 runs at 105.40 has been one of the stories of the domestic season but they will need more from the rest of the top order. Jackson Bird is equal with O’Neill with 22 wickets at 14.86 although will miss the Queensland game due to injury.

Who will they be missing?

Sam Konstas has been released from the Sri Lanka tour early so that he can face Queensland at the Gabba and should be available for the rest of the season in a boost to NSW’s hopes. However, Sean Abbott is still in Sri Lanka and may also be added to the Champions Trophy squad. Nathan Lyon could potentially be available after the Sri Lanka tour although he has been carrying a hip injury this season. Tanveer Sangha is currently on tour and may travel to the Champions Trophy as a reserve, which would rule him out of at least two rounds.

There is a tantalizing prospect of Steven Smith being available for the last round and the final should NSW qualify. Mitchell Starc played a Shield game earlier this season but has an IPL deal, as do Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood although that duo are currently carrying injuries.

4. Western Australia

The defending champions have given themselves a bit to do if they want to make it four titles in a row after suffering two defeats in their first six matches.

They had been looking good after an opening-round draw was followed by big back-to-back victories against Tasmania (who they beat in last season’s final) but Victoria toppled them in Melbourne and they were just unable to hang on in Sydney.

Hilton Cartwright has led the way in the runs with 530 at 53.00 and Cameron Bancroft had managed to turn a corner with a century after a horror start to the season although was part of that awful collision in the BBL. Joel Paris has been impressive in his three outings with 15 wickets 12.80 but they may have hoped for more from Corey Rocchiccioli whose 14 wickets have come at 44.14.

Who will they be missing?

Marsh (back) and Jhye Richardson (shoulder) are out for the remainder of the season, Bancroft (shoulder) is still recovering from the injury sustained at the BBL and captain Sam Whiteman has a foot infection. Josh Inglis will go from Sri Lanka to the Champions Trophy while Aaron Hardie is also part of the ODI squad as is Cooper Connolly at least for the two games in Sri Lanka. There is, however, the prospect of Green being able to play as a batter in the final round.

5. Queensland

Queensland kept their season afloat with the 23-run victory over Victoria at the MCG but there remains a significant gap to make up to reach the top two.

They had the better of a draw against NSW in Sydney where they weren’t helped by the weather but were on the back foot against Tasmania after being made to follow-on. They have two home games during February before finishing on the road in March.

Angus Lovell has impressed since coming into the side but so far only Ben McDermott has scored over 400 runs. Quick bowler Tom Whitney has started with 10 wickets in his first two Shield matches and a fit-again Michael Neser will be a big boost.

Who will they be missing?

Marnus Labuschagne is in Sri Lanka and then part of the Champions Trophy group but, given his hunger for batting, it would not be a surprise if he is available after that even if Queensland aren’t in the mix for the final. In theory, Usman Khawaja will be available after the Sri Lanka tour although he has managed his workload in recent seasons.

6. Tasmania

Three defeats, including the last-ball meltdown against South Australia, and just one win in six leaves Tasmania at the foot of the table the season after they reached the final last summer.

Back-to-back defeats against Western Australia hurt them early in the season but they played superbly to beat NSW in Sydney with only 13 minutes remaining on the final day. In their favour for the latter part of the summer is that they have three home games out of four.

Jake Weatherald is the leading run-scorer with 424 at 42.40 while Tim Ward is averaging 77.60 from three matches. Matt Kuhnemann stands as their leading wicket-taker while Riley Meredith’s 15 wickets have come at 20.00.

Who will they be missing?

Kuhnemann and Beau Webster are part of the Test squad in Sri Lanka but both should be available for round seven onwards unless Webster is a late addition for the Champions Trophy. Nathan Ellis hasn’t played a first-class game since 2023 so isn’t part of Tasmania’s red-ball plans. BBL breakout star Mitch Owen will miss this round as he’s at the SA20.

This article was originally published by Espncricinfo.com. Read the original article here.

The Sheffield Shield is back – here’s how things stand in the race for the final

1. South Australia

2. Victoria

3. New South Wales

4. Western Australia

5. Queensland

6. Tasmania

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1. South Australia

2. Victoria

3. New South Wales

4. Western Australia

5. Queensland

6. Tasmania

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