Sheffield_Shield

Sheffield Shield

Sheffield Shield

Cricket competition in Australia


The Sheffield Shield (currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Marsh Sheffield Shield) is the domestic first-class cricket competition of Australia. The tournament is contested between teams representing the six states of Australia. The Sheffield Shield is named after Lord Sheffield.

Quick Facts Countries, Administrator ...

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, South Australia and Victoria. Queensland was admitted for the 1926–27 season, Western Australia for the 1947–48 season, and Tasmania 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.

The Sheffield Shield is supported by a Second XI reserves competition.

History of Australia cricket

In 1891–92 the Earl of Sheffield was in Australia as the promoter of the English team led by W. G. Grace. The tour included three Tests played in Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide.

At the conclusion of the tour, Lord Sheffield donated £150 to the New South Wales Cricket Association to fund a trophy for an annual tournament of intercolonial cricket in Australia. The three colonies of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia 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,[1] won the competition to design the trophy, a 43 in × 30 in (109 cm × 76 cm) silver shield.

The competition therefore commenced some 15 years after Australia's first Test match.

Sponsorship and name changes

In 1999, the Australian Cricket Board (now Cricket Australia) announced a sponsorship deal which included renaming the Sheffield Shield to the Pura Milk Cup, then to the Pura Cup the following season.[2] Pura is a brand name of National Foods, a wholly owned subsidiary of Bega Cheese. 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 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".[3] Weet-bix is a cereal biscuit manufactured by Sanitarium Health Food Company.

In the 2019–20 season, Marsh 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.

  1. Each team has used several venues to host matches. For a full list, see list of cricket grounds in Australia.
  2. New South Wales was previously known as the "Blues" between 1995 and 2022.
  3. 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.
  4. Victoria was previously known as the "Victorian Bushrangers" between 1995 and 2018.[4]
  5. Western Australia was previously known as the "Western Warriors" between 1995 and 2019.[5]

Venues

Below are the venues that will host Sheffield Shield matches during the 2022–23 season.

More information Adelaide Oval, Allan Border Field ...

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.[6]
  • The 2020–21 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 four-day time limit has applied since 1927–28.[7]

In 1940–41, however, the Sheffield Shield was not contested but ten first-class “friendly” matches were played between the States for patriotic funds;[8] however financially these were unsuccessful.[9]

The Sheffield Shield was not contested during the 1941–42 Australian first-class season - instead an “Interstate Patriotic Competition” was held, with all proceeds gong to the war effort. Only one match was played (Queensland v NSW at the Gabba) before the competition was cancelled due to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour on December 7 1941.[10]

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 or tie, the Shield was awarded to the top-ranked team.[7] 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.[11] No final was played in 2019–20 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[12]

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.

More information Result, Points ...
  • Bonus point example – If after 100 overs the score is 8/350, the batting team would receive 1.5 points ([350 − 200] × 0.01), and the bowling side would receive 0.8 points (0.1 for each wicket)
  • Quotient (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.
  • 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;[14] But on 30 January, it was decided instead to award the Shield to the team which won the most intercolonial matches across the season.[15]
  • 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.[16][17]
  • Bonus points for first innings batting and bowling were used from 1971–72 to 1980–81 inclusive. During the first 100 (eight-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. Until 2018–19, the visiting team was required to win the Final to win the championship; the home team won the championship in the event of a tied or drawn Final. 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. Further details including match scorecards are available at Cricinfo[18] and the Cricket Archive.[19]

1892–93 to 1925–26

More information Season, Winner ...

1926–27 to 1946–47

More information Season, Winner ...

1947–48 to 1976–77

Western Australia team with the 1947–48 Sheffield Shield. The state won the shield despite playing three fewer games than other states with having the better average than their rivals.
More information Season, Winner ...

1977–78 to present

More information Season, Winner ...

Player of the Year

The Player of the Year award is announced at the end of each season.[20] 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 Australian batsman Matthew Elliott has won the award the most times, being awarded Player of the Year on three separate occasions.

More information Season, Winner(s) ...

Records

Individual records

Most matches played

More information Rank, Matches ...

Players representing three states

More information Player, Career ...

Six other players have represented three Australian states in top-level cricket, but without playing Sheffield Shield games for all three – Neil Hawke (SA, Tas, WA); Walter McDonald (Qld, Tas, Vic); Percy McDonnell (NSW, Qld, Vic); Karl Quist (NSW, SA, WA); Greg Rowell (NSW, Qld, Tas); Wal Walmsley (NSW, Qld, Tas), Dan Christian (NSW, SA, Vic).

Team records

Team results

More information Rank, Team ...

Highest team totals

More information Rank, Total ...

Lowest team totals

More information Rank, Total ...

Batting records

Highest individual scores

More information Rank, Runs ...

Most career runs

More information Rank, Runs ...

Most runs in a season

More information Rank, Runs ...

Highest batting averages

More information Rank, Average ...

Most centuries

More information Rank, Centuries ...

Bowling records

Most career wickets

More information Rank, Wickets ...

Most wickets in a season

More information Rank, Wickets ...

Best career average

More information Rank, Average ...

Hat-tricks

Many bowlers have taken a hat-trick in the Sheffield Shield. Mitchell Starc 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 in each innings of a first-class cricket match in Australia.[21] He became the second Australian, and the eighth bowler overall, to take a two hat-tricks in each innings of a first-class match.[22] In a match from 4–7 November 2017, New South Wales played against Western Australia at Hurstville Oval. In Western Australia's first innings, Starc dismissed Jason Behrendorff, David Moody and Simon Mackin in consecutive deliveries;[23] in the second innings he dismissed Behrendorff, Moody and Jonathan Wells in consecutive deliveries.

Wicket-keeping records

Most dismissals

More information Rank, Dismissals ...

Most dismissals in a season

More information Rank, Dismissals ...

See also

Further reading

  • 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

References

  1. "J.O.I.N. Letters from Jewish Australia – Say NO to Prejudice". Join.org.au. Archived from the original on 3 March 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  2. Rick Eyre (17 November 1999). "Aussie state champions to drink from the Milk Cup". Cricinfo. Archived from the original on 29 October 2004. Retrieved 18 July 2016.
  3. "Cricket Australia and Weet-Bix bring Sheffield Shield back". Cricket Australia. 16 July 2008. Archived from the original on 26 July 2008. Retrieved 17 July 2008.
  4. "Victorian Cricket Team name update". Cricket Victoria. Cricket Victoria. 24 May 2018. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
  5. "Domestic Cricket Changes". WA Cricket. WA Cricket. 29 July 2019. Archived from the original on 25 March 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  6. "NSW handed Sheffield Shield as coronavirus bring season to abrupt finish". Abc.net.au. 17 March 2020. Archived from the original on 6 April 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  7. Frindall, Bill (1998). The Wisden Book of Cricket Records (Fourth ed.). London: Headline Book Publishing. p. 391. ISBN 0747222037.
  8. ‘Sheffield Shield Cricket Cancelled’; The Courier-Mail, 10 July 1940, p. 1
  9. ‘No Inter-State Cricket’; The Age, 3 July 1941, p. 3
  10. "Queensland versus NSW". www.espncricinfo.com. Retrieved 9 October 2023.
  11. "Rule change set to liven up Shield final". cricket.com.au. Archived from the original on 5 April 2019. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  12. "New South Wales named Sheffield Shield winners as final cancelled". ESPN Cricinfo. Archived from the original on 16 March 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  13. "Sheffield Shield schedule revealed". cricket.com.au. Archived from the original on 22 July 2016. Retrieved 13 February 2017.
  14. "The Sheffield Shield". South Australian Register. Adelaide, SA. 5 January 1893. p. 7.
  15. "Correspondence". South Australian Register. Adelaide, SA. 22 February 1893. p. 4.
  16. Wynne-Thomas, Peter (1983). The Hamlyn A-Z of Cricket Records pages 133-137. Hamlyn Publishing Group. ISBN 0-600-34667-6.
  17. Engel, Matthew (2004). Wisden Cricketers' Almanack 2004, pages 1344-1345. John Wisden & Company Ltd. ISBN 0-947766-83-9.
  18. "The Home of CricketArchive". Cricketarchive.com. Archived from the original on 6 October 2018. Retrieved 18 November 2021.
  19. "Sheffield Shield Player of the Year". Cricinfo.com. Archived from the original on 27 April 2005.
  20. "Starc's second hat-trick delivers victory for NSW". ESPN Cricinfo. 7 November 2017. Archived from the original on 11 August 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  21. "Two hat-tricks in the same match". ESPN Cricinfo. 7 November 2017. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  22. "Smith passes 50 after Starc hat-trick". Cricket Australia. 6 November 2017. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 6 November 2017.

Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Sheffield_Shield, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.