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The Sheffield Shield (currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Marsh Sheffield Shield) is the domestic
first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officiall ...
competition of
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
. The tournament is contested between teams from the six states of Australia. Sheffield Shield is named after Lord Sheffield. Prior to the Shield being established, a number of intercolonial matches were played. The Shield, donated by Lord Sheffield, was first contested during the 1892–93 season, between
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
,
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
and
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...
.
Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...
was admitted for the 1926–27 season,
Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
for the 1947–48 season, and
Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...
for the 1977–78 season. The competition is contested in a double- round-robin format, with each team playing every other team twice, i.e. home and away. Points are awarded based on wins, draws, ties and bonus points for runs and wickets in a team's first 100 batting and bowling overs, with the top two teams playing a final at the end of the season. Regular matches last for four days; the final lasts for five days.


History of Australia cricket

In 1891–92 the
Earl of Sheffield Baron Sheffield is a title that has been created four times: once in the Peerage of England, twice in the Peerage of Ireland, and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation, as ''Baron Sheffield of Butterwick'', was in the ...
was in Australia as the promoter of the English team led by
W. G. Grace William Gilbert Grace (18 July 1848 – 23 October 1915) was an English amateur cricketer who was important in the development of the sport and is widely considered one of its greatest players. He played first-class cricket for a record-equal ...
. The tour included three
Tests Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...
played in
Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
, Sydney and
Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
. At the conclusion of the tour, Lord Sheffield donated £150 to the
New South Wales Cricket Association Cricket NSW (officially known as the ''New South Wales Cricket Association'') is an Australian sporting association that administers cricket in New South Wales. It is based at the Sydney Olympic Park. The New South Wales Blues, the New South Wal ...
to fund a trophy for an annual tournament of
intercolonial cricket in Australia Intercolonial cricket matches were the first-class cricket matches played between the various colonies of Australia prior to federation in 1901. After federation, they became known as ''Interstate'' matches. By the 1880s regular intercolonials w ...
. The three colonies of
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
,
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...
and
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
were already playing each other in ad hoc matches. The new tournament commenced in the summer of 1892–93, mandating home and away fixtures between each colony each season. The three teams competed for the Sheffield Shield, named after its benefactor. A Polish immigrant,
Phillip Blashki Phillip Blashki (21 February 1837 – 21 October 1916) was a Polish immigrant to Australia who rose to be a successful businessman, magistrate, JP, holder of many positions of public responsibility and associated with numerous community and char ...
, won the competition to design the trophy, a silver shield. The competition therefore commenced some 15 years after Australia's first
Test Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to: * Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities Arts and entertainment * ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film * ''Test'' (2014 film), ...
match.


Sponsorship and name changes

In 1999, the Australian Cricket Board (now
Cricket Australia Cricket Australia (CA), formerly known as the Australian Cricket Board (ACB), is the governing body for professional and amateur cricket in Australia. It was originally formed in 1905 as the 'Australian Board of Control for International Crick ...
) announced a sponsorship deal which included renaming the Sheffield Shield to the Pura Milk Cup, then to the Pura Cup the following season. ''
Pura Pura may refer to: Places * Pura, Kushtagi, a village in Koppal district, Karnataka, India * Pura, Iran, a village in Mazandaran Province, Iran * Pura, Tarlac, a municipality in the Philippines * Pura, Switzerland, a municipality in Ticino, S ...
'' is a brand name of
National Foods Bega Dairy & Drinks is a subsidiary of Australian diversified food company Bega Cheese, having been purchased from the Japanese company Kirin (who owns Lion in Australia) in November 2020. While owned by Kirin, it was known as Lion Dairy & D ...
, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Philippines-based
San Miguel Corporation San Miguel Corporation, abbreviated as SMC, is a Philippine multinational conglomerate headquartered in Mandaluyong, Metro Manila. The company is one of the largest and most diversified conglomerates in the Philippines. Originally founded i ...
. The sponsorship increased total annual prize money to A$220,000, with the winners receiving A$75,000 and the runners up A$45,000. On 16 July 2008 it was announced that
Weet-Bix Weet-Bix is a whole-grain wheat breakfast cereal created and manufactured in Australia and New Zealand by the Sanitarium Health Food Company, and in South Africa by Bokomo. History Weet-Bix was developed by Bennison Osborne in Sydney, Aus ...
would take over sponsorship of the competition from the start of the 2008–09 season, and that the name would revert to the "Sheffield Shield" or the "Sheffield Shield presented by Weet-Bix". Weet-bix is a cereal biscuit manufactured by
Sanitarium Health Food Company The Sanitarium Health and Wellbeing Company is the trading name of two sister food companies (Australian Health and Nutrition Association Ltd and New Zealand Health Association Ltd). Both are wholly owned by the Seventh-day Adventist Church. F ...
. In the 2019–20 season,
Marsh A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...
took over the sponsorship for the competition. This followed Marsh & McLennan Companies' acquisition of JLT, which had sponsored the competition since 2017.


Teams

Since 1977–78, all six states of Australia have fielded their own team. There is no team for any of the territories. Details of each team are set out below. Each team has used several venues to host matches. For a full list, see
list of cricket grounds in Australia This is a list of cricket grounds in Australia. The list includes all grounds that have been used for Test cricket, Test, One Day International, Twenty20 International, First-class cricket, first-class, List A cricket, List A and KFC Twenty20 Bi ...
. Before 1993, all states were known by their state name or cricket association title. Queensland were the first to adopt a nickname when they became known as the ‘Bulls’ from 1993. Following the success of the ‘Bulls’ name, other states followed suit and in 1995 gave their state team nicknames.
Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...
was previously known as the "Victorian Bushrangers" between 1995 and 2018.
Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
was previously known as the "Western Warriors" between 1995 and 2019.
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
was previously known as the "Blues" between 1995 and 2022.


Venues

Below are the venues that will host Sheffield Shield matches during the 2022-2023 season.


Competition format

Each side has played each other both home and away every season with the following exceptions: * South Australia had no home game with: Victoria in 1901–02 or 1903–04; either opponent in 1907–08; New South Wales in 1910–11. * Queensland and South Australia played only once (in South Australia) in 1926–27. * Western Australia played each team only once from their debut in 1946–47 until 1955–56 inclusive. * Tasmania played each team only once from their debut in 1977–78 until 1981–82 inclusive. * In 2019–20 the season was curtailed after nine rounds due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. * The
2020–21 The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
season was heavily affected by COVID-19 lockdowns, with QLD playing 9 games, Tasmania and South Australia 8, and Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria playing 7 each. Unusually for the Sheffield Shield, Victoria and New South Wales played each other 3 times during the home and away portion of the season. Where the teams played an unequal number of games, their final points were calculated on a pro-rata basis. Matches were timeless (i.e. played to an outright result, weather and schedule permitting) up to 1926–27. A 4-day time limit has applied since 1927–28.


Final

Since 1982–83, the top two teams after the home and away rounds have met in a final, played over five days at the home ground of the top-ranked team. Between 1982-83 and 2017–18, in the event of a
draw Draw, drawing, draws, or drawn may refer to: Common uses * Draw (terrain), a terrain feature formed by two parallel ridges or spurs with low ground in between them * Drawing (manufacturing), a process where metal, glass, or plastic or anything ...
or tie, the Shield was awarded to the top-ranked team. Since the 2018-19 summer, in the event of a draw or tie, the team which scores more first innings bonus points, based on the system used in regular season matches, wins the Shield. No final was played in 2019–20 due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.


Points system

A number of different systems have been used over the years. Currently, points are awarded for each match during the home and away season according to the following table. *Bonus point example – If after 100 overs the score is 8/350, the batting team would receive 1.5 points (), and the bowling side would receive 0.8 points (0.1 for each wicket) *
Quotient In arithmetic, a quotient (from lat, quotiens 'how many times', pronounced ) is a quantity produced by the division of two numbers. The quotient has widespread use throughout mathematics, and is commonly referred to as the integer part of a ...
(team's batting average divided by its bowling average) is used to separate teams which finish on an equal number of points. *Teams can be penalised points for failing to maintain an adequate
over rate An over rate is the average number of overs bowled per hour by the bowling team in cricket. When calculated by Test match officials, allowances are made for wickets taken (2 mins per wicket), drinks breaks (4 mins each), DRS reviews, treatment fo ...
. *The bonus bowling points were modified for the 2016–17 season. For the 2014–15 and 2015–16 seasons, the bowling team received 0.5 points for taking the 5th, 7th and 9th wickets (a maximum 1.5 points).


Previous systems

* The Shield was initially envisaged as a match-by-match challenge trophy; it was originally determined on 4 January 1893 that it would first be awarded to the winner of the next inter-colonial match (which was, in fact, the fourth of the season), and then would pass in perpetuity to any team which defeated the holder of the trophy; But on 30 January, it was decided instead to award the Shield to the team which won the most intercolonial matches across the season. * The quotient has been used as a tie-breaker for teams on equal points since 1893–94. * First innings points were introduced in 1932–33 and used until 1970–71. * Bonus points for first innings batting and bowling were used from 1971–72 to 1980–81 inclusive. During the first 100 (8-ball) overs of each side's first innings, a maximum of 10 batting bonus points could be attained. They were awarded for every 25 runs scored from 175 to 400 inclusive. A maximum of 5 bowling bonus points were available, initially upon capture of the second, fourth, sixth, eighth and last wickets. This was later changed to wickets 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 as batting teams often declared when 9 wickets down to deny the bowling side the additional bonus point.


Competition placings

Prior to the introduction of a Final in 1982–83, the team with most points after the home and away rounds was declared the winner. With the introduction of the Final, the top team hosts the second placed team in a five-day match. The visiting team must win the Final to win the championship; the home team wins the championship in the event of a tied or drawn Final. Further details including match scorecards are available at Cricinfo and the Cricket Archive.


1892–93 to 1925–26


1926–27 to 1946–47


1947–48 to 1976–77


1977–78 to present


Player of the Year

The Player of the Year award is announced at the end of each season. Since its inception in 1976 it has been awarded to the best-performed player/s over the season, as determined a panel of judges. Victorian and
South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...
n batsman Matthew Elliott has won the award the most times, being awarded Player of the Year on three separate occasions.


Records


Individual records


Most matches played


Players representing three states

Six other players have represented three Australian states in top-level cricket, but without playing Sheffield Shield games for all three –
Neil Hawke Neil James Napier Hawke (27 June 1939 – 25 December 2000) was an Australian Test cricketer and leading Australian rules footballer. Early years Born in Cheltenham, South Australia, Hawke quickly developed as a natural all-round sportsman ...
(SA, Tas, WA); Walter McDonald (Qld, Tas, Vic);
Percy McDonnell Percy Stanislaus McDonnell (13 November 1858 – 24 September 1896
— ''
Karl Quist Karl Hugo Quist (18 August 1875 – 31 March 1957) was an Australian sportsman who played interstate cricket for New South Wales, South Australia, and Western Australia, and later became a noted South Australian sporting coach and personality. B ...
(NSW, SA, WA);
Greg Rowell Gregory John Rowell (born 1 September 1966) is an Australian cricketer who played for Queensland, New South Wales, and Tasmania. He was a right-handed batsman and right-arm fast bowler who was born at Lindfield, New South Wales. On 11 May 2007, ...
(NSW, Qld, Tas);
Wal Walmsley Walter Thomas Walmsley (16 March 1916 – 25 February 1978) was a cricketer who played first-class cricket for three Australian state teams and for Northern Districts men's cricket team, Northern Districts in New Zealand between 1945–46 a ...
(NSW, Qld, Tas),
Dan Christian Daniel Trevor Christian (born 4 May 1983) is an Australian professional cricketer with Aboriginal ancestry. He is considered to be a Twenty20 cricket specialist and has played for franchises all over the globe. Christian is known as a powerfu ...
(NSW, SA, Vic).


Team records


Team results


Highest team totals


Lowest team totals


Batting records


Highest individual scores


Most career runs


Most runs in a season


Highest batting averages


Most centuries


Bowling records


Most career wickets


Most wickets in a season


Best career average


Hat-tricks

Many bowlers have taken a
hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
in the Sheffield Shield.
Mitchell Starc Mitchell Aaron Starc (born 30 January 1990) is an Australian international cricketer who plays for the Australian national team and New South Wales in domestic cricket. A left-arm fast bowler and a lower order left-handed batsman, Starc repres ...
is the only bowler to take two hat-tricks in a Sheffield Shield match. In round two of the 2017–18 competition, Starc became the first bowler to take a
hat-trick A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three. Origin The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
in each innings of a
first-class cricket First-class cricket, along with List A cricket and Twenty20 cricket, is one of the highest-standard forms of cricket. A first-class match is one of three or more days' scheduled duration between two sides of eleven players each and is officiall ...
match in Australia. He became the second Australian, and the eighth bowler overall, to take a two hat-tricks in each innings of a first-class match. In a match from 4–7 November 2017,
New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...
played against
Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
at
Hurstville Oval Hurstville Oval is a multi-use sporting ground, located in the suburb of Hurstville, in Sydney's southern suburbs. Since its opening, it has held various sports at the venue – including Cricket, Rugby League, Cycling and Football. The ov ...
. In Western Australia's first innings, Starc dismissed
Jason Behrendorff Jason Paul Behrendorff (born 20 April 1990) is an Australian cricketer, currently listed with Western Australia and the Perth Scorchers in Australian domestic cricket. Although born in New South Wales, Behrendorff grew up in Canberra and playe ...
, David Moody and
Simon Mackin Simon Patrick Mackin (born 1 September 1992) is an Australian cricketer who debuted for Western Australia during the 2013–14 season. Mackin was born in Wyalkatchem, a small country town in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, and rais ...
in consecutive deliveries; in the second innings he dismissed Behrendorff, Moody and Jonathan Wells in consecutive deliveries.


Wicket-keeping records


Most dismissals


Most dismissals in a season


See also

*
Intercolonial cricket in Australia Intercolonial cricket matches were the first-class cricket matches played between the various colonies of Australia prior to federation in 1901. After federation, they became known as ''Interstate'' matches. By the 1880s regular intercolonials w ...
*
Matador BBQs One-Day Cup The One-Day Cup, known as the Marsh One-Day Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an Australian domestic List A 50-over limited-overs cricket tournament. It has had many different names, formats and teams since the inaugural 1969-1970 season. Init ...
* KFC T20 Big Bash League * 2022–23 Sheffield Shield season


References

*''The History of the Sheffield Shield'', Chris Harte *''A Century of Summers: 100 years of Sheffield Shield cricket'', Geoff Armstrong *''A History of Australian Cricket 1993'', Chris Harte {{Australian cricket season Australian domestic cricket competitions Professional sports leagues in Australia Recurring sporting events established in 1892 Sports leagues established in 1892 1892 establishments in Australia First-class cricket competitions