Cricket.com.au's Shield Team of the Tournament

After 88 days of pulsating Sheffield Shield action, the cricket.com.au editorial team has picked the best XI players to make an unofficial team of the year.

Australia's domestic cricket season concludes this weekend when Western Australia hosts Victoria at the WACA for a chance to claim the 2021-22 title.

Henry Hunt (South Australia)

Matches: 8 | Runs: 601 | Highest score: 134 | Average: 42.92 | 100s: 3

The competition's second highest run scorer at the end of the regular season, Hunt stepped up to skipper South Australia in the absence of Test stars Travis Head and Alex Carey, leading the Redbacks to their first Shield win in more than two years with 109 in the first innings against NSW. Hunt now has six first-class centuries and a career average of 38 opening the batting and continues to prove that he is a future Test opener in waiting.

Travis Dean (Victoria)

Matches: 5 | Runs: 395 | HS: 146 | Ave: 49.37 | 100s: 2

Victoria's third-choice opener finished the regular season with the highest average for opening batters across the competition. Dean was in and out of the side with Marcus Harris called up for national duties and Will Pucovski recovering from concussion, but eventually won his place over James Seymour as the next-in-line through weight of runs. He carried his bat for 144 not out against NSW in November after not being selected in the opening two matches of the season, becoming just the third batter to achieve the feat twice for Victoria.

Peter Handscomb – captain (Victoria)

Matches: 7 | Runs: 617 | HS: 148no | Ave: 47.46 | 100s: 2

Handscomb finished the regular season as the competition's leading run scorer and will captain Victoria for the first time in a Sheffield Shield final on Thursday. His incredible 148 not out at Adelaide Oval in February to deny South Australia a drought-breaking was one of the knocks of the season. He was also a standout with his fielding – his 23 catches equalled the record for the most in a season in the history of the competition and he broke the record for the most in a single match with nine against Tasmania.

Usman Khawaja (Queensland)

Matches: 6 | Runs: 529 | HS: 174 | Ave: 58.77 | 100s: 2

Khawaja's stunning form over the past two Shield seasons has been the catalyst for his recall to the Test side where he is the leading batter in the world in 2022 with four centuries and 751 runs at 125 – more than 350 runs clear of his nearest rival. The loss of their skipper and Marnus Labuschagne to national duties for their last three fixtures left a big hole in the defending champion's top order and they didn't win a game in the second half of the season, finishing in second last spot. 

Nic Maddinson (Victoria)

Matches: 6 | Runs: 525 | HS: 128 | Ave: 58.33 | 100s: 2

At one point, Maddinson was averaging just under 100 this season before a lean run leading into this week's final brought it crashing back down to a still impressive 58.33. The left-hander has scored 2,241 runs since joining Victoria four years ago, which earned him a recall to the Australian Test squad as COVID cover during the Ashes and as a stand-by for the Pakistan tour.

Jordan Silk (Tasmania)

Matches: 7 | Runs: 515 | HS: 100no | Ave: 57.11 | 100s: 1

A switch from opening to the middle-order sparked an impressive run of form for Silk in the first half of the season and helped Tasmania record consecutive wins against Western Australia. In the last match before the KFC BBL break, his 83 not out guided the Tigers to a memorable come-from-behind victory against WA on the final afternoon.

Josh Philippe – wicketkeeper (Western Australia)

Matches: 7 | Runs: 478 | HS: 129 | Ave: 43.45 | 100s: 1

With Josh Inglis absent for the entire summer due to national squad commitments, Philippe enjoyed his best first-class season in his four-year career. He finished the regular season as WA's second leading run scorer behind Hilton Cartwright, while also taking the gloves in every game and recording the most dismissals in the competition with 34 catches. Showed his class with the century he hit against Queensland at the Gabba in a low scoring match where the only others to score more than 50 were Khawaja and Cameron Green.

Chris Tremain (NSW)

Matches: 5 | Wickets: 24 | Best bowling: 5-48 | Ave: 15.95 | 5WI: 1

After being overlooked by NSW for an entire season and the first two games of this year, Tremain made a thumping return to first-class cricket with two wickets in his first three balls against his old side Victoria. Despite missing those first two games, the 30-year-old comfortably finished as the Blues leading wicket-taker and inside the top five in the competition. Also proved his value as a lower order hitter with his second-ever Shield score over 50 to help avoid the follow-on against WA in the penultimate match of the season.

Jhye Richardson (Western Australia)

Matches: 4 | Wickets: 25 | Best bowling: 5-23 | Ave: 13.43 | 5WI: 1

Richardson's season was limited due to Ashes duties and  it was cruelly cut short by a hamstring injury in the Marsh Cup final, but when he did play it was exciting. Took 3-38 and 5-23 at the Gabba just before the Ashes as WA smashed Queensland by seven wickets. At just 25 years old, when fit, Richardson has become the leader of dominant West Australian pace battery.

Mark Steketee (Queensland)

Matches: 6 | Wickets: 32 | Best bowling: 7-44 | Ave: 17.93 | 5WI: 2

Steketee, the competition's leading wicket-taker this season, earned a call up to the Test squad for the Pakistan tour when teammate Michael Neser was ruled out through injury on the back of his outstanding start to the year. A standout performance – and his career-best match figures – of 10-92 in October proved in vain as South Australia held on for a draw at Adelaide Oval.

Matthew Kuhnemann (Queensland)

Matches: 7 | Wickets: 25 | Best bowling: 5-25 | Ave: 31.88 | 5WI: 3

The leading spinner in this year's competition, Kuhnemann stepped up in the absence of Mitch Swepson who spent most of the summer with the Australian Test and T20 squads. Claimed the most five-wicket hauls of all bowlers this season, including 5-60 and 5-107 – his career-best match figures – to bowl Queensland to victory against Tasmania in Townsville in late October.

12th: Scott Boland (Victoria)

Matches: 4 | Wickets: 21 | Best bowling: 5-56 | Ave: 15.66 | 5WI: 1

Boland has banged the door down for years and finally earned himself a Baggy Green following another sensational Sheffield Shield season. Just over a month before his fairytale 6-7 on debut in the Boxing Day Test, Boland bowled Victoria to victory against NSW with 5-56 on the final day at the same venue.

The Marsh Sheffield Shield final will be broadcast live on Fox Cricket and Kayo Sports, as well as live streamed free on cricket.com.au and the CA Live app