CA confirms Shield final will return

Cricket Australia has confirmed the Sheffield Shield final will keep its spot in the domestic calendar for at least another season after both captains from this week’s decider threw their support behind the concept.

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Victoria claimed their 31st Shield crown on Thursday by virtue of finishing on top of the table despite the five-day showpiece match against South Australia in Alice Springs finishing in a draw.

As it stands, the top-placed side after the 10-round home-and-away season earns hosting rights for the final as well as the advantage of being awarded the title if the match ends in a draw.

Four of the past five Shield finals have now finished in draws and recently the likes of Australia coach Darren Lehmann have questioned the value of the showpiece game.

But CA’s head of cricket operations Sean Cary said while next year’s domestic schedule had not yet been finalised, the Shield final would remain.

"The Sheffield Shield Final is an important element in the domestic schedule,” Cary said.

"At this stage we are yet to finalise the Shield fixture, but the structure of the tournament including the final will not change next season."

In a bid to even up the contest between bat and ball during the Shield final, Cricket Australia introduced an independent advisor to oversee pitch preparation for the showpiece match.

Adelaide Oval curator Les Burdett filled that role last year at Gliderol Stadium in Glenelg, a track that produced an engrossing contest which saw the lower-ranked team (Victoria) prevail for the first time in over a decade.

Burdett again oversaw the preparation of this year’s Traeger Park pitch, which didn’t provide much assistance to fast bowlers but offered more turn as the game wore on.

And despite spending close to 300 overs in the field as the Bushrangers batted on to ensure they would not lose the match, Redbacks skipper Travis Head was adamant their opponents had earnt the right to play that way, insisting he doesn’t want to see any change to the current final rules.

"They were the best side so no complaints with the format," Head said after the match.

"They (won) seven games (during the season), they were the best side.

"We had the opportunity last year finishing top and weren’t able to do that.

"It was still a good game, it was a good game last year and (both teams) fought out all the way to the end today."

In the context of the 124-year history of the Sheffield Shield, the final is a reasonably new concept.

A decider was introduced for the 1982-83 season and has been played every year since but prior to that, the title was awarded to the team finishing on top of the ladder after the home-and-away matches.

Last year, Lehmann signalled he’d be happy to return to the old system.

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"From my point of view, I'm happy not to have (a Shield final)," Lehmann told FIVEaa radio.

"I'm happy to have first past the post.

"(But) the players love the Shield final because it's as close as they can get to a Test match.

"At the moment it will stay as is."

As Lehmann said, the five-day game is often touted as the closest a domestic game can get to replicating the pressure and intensity of international cricket.

The likes of Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood and Jon Holland have all made their Test debuts months after strong performances in a Shield final in recent years.

And victorious Bushrangers captain Cameron White stressed that’s why the match should remain a part of the domestic calendar.

"I know the players love playing in the Shield final," White said after leading Victoria to their third-straight title.

"They think performances and the value of performing under pressure is rated highly.

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"The players, not only in this South Australian team and the Victorian team, but across the country really value the Shield final and would like to see it continue."