Sheffield Shield
The Sheffield Shield (also known as the Marsh Sheffield Shield for sponsorship reasons) is the domestic first-class cricket competition of Australia. The tournament is played by six teams, each representing one of the six states.
| Countries |  Australia |
|---|---|
| Administrator | Cricket Australia |
| Format | First-class |
| First Edition | 1892–93 |
| Latest Edition | 2022–23 |
| Next Edition | 2023–24 |
| Tournament format | Double round-robin, then final |
| Number of teams | 6 |
| Current champion |  Western Australia (17th title) |
| Most successful |  New South Wales (47 titles) |
| Most runs | Darren Lehmann (South Australia and Victoria) 12,971 runs |
| Most wickets | Clarrie Grimmett (Victoria and South Australia) 513 wickets |
| TV | Cricket Network Kayo Sports Fox Cricket (selected matches) |
| Website | Cricket Australia |
| File:Cricket current event.svg 2023–24 Sheffield Shield season | |
The Sheffield Shield is named after Henry Holroyd, 3rd Earl of Sheffield, better known as Lord Sheffield.
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.
| Team name |
Team nickname | Home ground/s[a] | First season | Last title | Shield titles | Team captain/s | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| bgcolor="#Template:Cricket NSW colour" | | New South Wales |
Blues[b] |
Drummoyne Oval |
1892–93 | 2019–20 | 47 | Kurtis Patterson |
| bgcolor="#Template:Cricket Qld colour" | | Queensland |
Bulls[c] | 1926–27 | 2020–21 | 9 | Usman Khawaja | |
| bgcolor="#Template:Cricket SA colour" | | South Australia |
Redbacks | 1892–93 | 1995–96 | 13 | Travis Head | |
| bgcolor="#Template:Cricket Tas colour" | | Tasmania |
Tigers | 1977–78 | 2012–13 | 3 | Matthew Wade | |
| bgcolor="#Template:Cricket Vic colour" | | Victoria |
Bushrangers[d] | 1892–93 | 2018–19 | 32 | Peter Handscomb | |
| bgcolor="#Template:Cricket WA colour" | | Western Australia |
Warriors[e] | 1947–48 | 2022–23 | 17 | Mitchell Marsh |
- ↑ Each team has used several venues to host matches. For a full list, see list of cricket grounds in Australia.
- ↑ New South Wales was previously known as the "Blues" between 1995 and 2022.
- ↑ 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 was previously known as the "Victorian Bushrangers" between 1995 and 2018.[1]
- ↑ Western Australia was previously known as the "Western Warriors" between 1995 and 2019.[2]
Sheffield Shield Media
The Sheffield Shield as it appeared in 1989 with blue felt.
The Sheffield Shield on display in 2026.
Adelaide Oval during a 1902 Sheffield Shield match between South Australia and New South Wales.
The Sheffield Shield being handed over to New South Wales, 4 May 1932.
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.
The South Australian team celebrate winning the Sheffield Shield in 2025, breaking their 29-year drought.
References
- ↑ Victorian Cricket Team name update. Cricket Victoria (24 May 2018)Cricket Victoria. Retrieved 24 January 2020.
- ↑ Domestic Cricket Changes. WA Cricket (29 July 2019)WA Cricket. Retrieved 29 October 2021.