Day-night Sheffield Shield preview

Watch Live: The three games in progress

Live Scores: Follow the games here

With two rounds to go and five teams still in the hunt for a spot in the final, the lights are getting turned on and the pink balls brought out for what promises to be a ground-breaking few days of day-night Bupa Sheffield Shield action.

To keep you informed heading into season’s end, here’s a guide to the penultimate round of Shield cricket.

Quick single: Sheffield Shield survival guide

Quick single: Day-night key information

Commonwealth Bank Bushrangers vs Tasmanian Tigers

Venue: MCG

Commonwealth Bank Bushrangers squad:

Matthew Wade (captain), Fawad Ahmed, Scott Boland, Peter Handscomb, John Hastings, Michael Hill, Jon Holland, David Hussey, Rob Quiney, Jake Reed, Dean Russ, Marcus Stoinis

Tasmanian Tigers squad:

Tim Paine (captain), Luke Butterworth, Steve Cazzulino, Mark Cosgrove, Ed Cowan, Xavier Doherty, Ben Dunk, Andrew Fekete, Evan Gulbis, Ben Hilfenhaus, Sam Rainbird, Jon Wells

The situation:

The Tigers need to win both their remaining fixtures outright, and hope that results go their way, to have any chance of making the final.

Their formidable pace battery will definitely be a handful for the Bushrangers bats, especially in the unfamiliar twilight hours of the day-nighter as the light starts to fade and conditions become more unpredictable.

With a number of big names missing on International T20 duty, the Victorians will be using these last two rounds to test out some young talent while the more experienced campaigners will be looking to cement their place in the side for 2014/15.

West End Redbacks vs NSW Blues

Venue: Adelaide Oval

West End Redbacks squad:

Johan Botha (captain), Tom Cooper, Callum Ferguson, Travis Head, Michael Klinger, Trent Lawford, Tim Ludeman, Andrew McDonald, Gary Putland, Sam Raphael, Kane Richardson, Chad Sayers, Adam Zampa

NSW Blues squad:

Peter Nevill ( Captain ), Doug Bollinger, Sean Abbott, Ryan Carters, Trent Copeland, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Henry, Nic Maddinson, Stephen O’Keefe, Kurtis Patterson, Ben Rohrer, Manjot Singh

The situation:

Despite currently sitting in third, New South Wales are in the enviable position of having complete control over their own destiny, and with their last two matches against the top two teams, they’d have form against their likely opponent if they made the final.

But standing in the Blues’ way is a solid South Australian outfit, playing on their home ground. An outright win for the boys in red hands them a guaranteed place in the final.

Quick Single: Stones may prompt venue change

XXXX GOLD Queensland Bulls vs Alcohol. Think Again Western Warriors

Venue: Gabba

XXXX GOLD Queensland Bulls squad:

James Hopes (captain), Cameron Boyce, Joe Burns, Luke Feldman, Peter Forrest, Cameron Gannon, Chris Hartley, Usman Khawaja, Chris Lynn, Alister Mcdermott, Michael Neser, Luke Pomersbach

Alcohol. Think Again Western Warriors squad:

Adam Voges (captain), Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Ryan Duffield, Marcus Harris, Michael Hogan, Mitchell Marsh, Marcus North, Nathan Rimmington, Ashton Turner,  Sam Whiteman

The situation:

In almost an identical position to the Redbacks, Western Australia need an outright win in their last two matches to ensure a top two finish, while two wins will lock them in for a home final.

The Bulls have welcomed back Chris Lynn and Usman Khawaja from injury along with Michael Neser, while Ben Cutting will miss out after suffering a minor hamstring strain in last week’s loss to the Tigers.

A draw here will all but snuff out any chance of Queensland making the final.