All the round eight Sheffield Shield squads

NSW v Victoria, SCG, 18-21 February

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NSW squad: Jackson Bird, Ollie Davies, Jack Edwards (c), Matt Gilkes, Chris Green, Liam Hatcher, Hanno Jacobs, Sam Konstas, Nic Maddinson, Blake Nikitaras, Kurtis Patterson, Ross Pawson, Josh Philippe, Lachlan Shaw 

 

Ins: Jackson Bird, Blake Nikitaras

NSW have added veteran quick Jackson Bird and left-hander Blake Nikitaras to their 12-man squad that lost to Queensland at the Gabba last week.

The 38-year-old Bird was a late out against Queensland after failing to recover from a hamstring injury suffered in the BBL. Nathan Lyon hasn't been included after sending down 101 overs in Australia's 2-0 series victory in Sri Lanka.

Victoria squad: Will Sutherland (c), Scott Boland, Dylan Brasher, Xavier Crone, ⁠Harry Dixon, Peter Handscomb, ⁠Sam Harper, Marcus Harris, ⁠Campbell Kellaway, Todd Murphy, Fergus ⁠O’Neill, Mitch Perry, Tom Rogers

 

Ins: Scott Boland, Dylan Brasher, Todd Murphy

 

Outs: Sam Elliott, Peter Siddle (both rested), Jon Merlo

Test squad members Scott Boland and Todd Murphy are back in the squad for this Shield clash after returning for the Vics in last Thursday's one-day loss to Tasmania, with Peter Siddle and Sam Elliott rested. Allrounder Jon Merlo has dropped out of the squad from last week's Shield loss to the Tigers after being named in the Second XI on Monday, with Dylan Brasher elevated from the Second XI. 

Will Sutherland's side are narrowly holding onto second spot behind South Australia despite their loss to Tassie, but the four teams below them are all within one win of their 29.64 points tally.

Queensland v Western Australia, Gabba, 18-21 February

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Queensland squad: Mitchell Swepson (c), Xavier Bartlett, Hugo Burdon, Lachlan Hearne, Angus Lovell, Ben McDermott, Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Matthew Renshaw, Mark Steketee, Tom Whitney, Jack Wildermuth

 

Ins: Hugo Burdon, Tom Whitney

 

Outs: Jack Clayton, Tom Straker

Queensland rested pacemen Michael Neser and Mark Steketee from their one-day win over NSW to assist their build-up to their Shield clash with WA. The Bulls have won their past two Shield games to rise to third in the standings, less than two points shy of Victoria in second.

The Bulls recalled fast bowler Tom Whitney with 19-year-old quick Tom Straker missing the game as part of his bowling management plan.

Uncapped batter Hugo Burdon comes into the squad for the injured Jack Clayton (hamstring), who is targeting a return in the final two matches of the season next month. If selected, the 23-year-old Burdon would make his first-class debut.

"With Usman Khawaja having some well-earned downtime following the Sri Lankan tour and Jack Clayton recovering from injury, we're excited for Hugo to earn the opportunity for a possible debut," said Joe Dawes said, Queensland's head of elite cricket.

Burdon played for a Cricket Australia XI against the touring England Lions last month and captained Queensland Second XI to a win over NSW earlier this month, scoring 100 and 53.

WA squad: Sam Whiteman (c), Hilton Cartwright, Brody Couch, Keaton Critchell, Joel Curtis, Sam Fanning, Cameron Gannon, Jayden Goodwin, Lance Morris, Joel Paris, Corey Rocchiccioli, Ashton Turner, Teague Wyllie

 

Ins: Sam Whiteman, Lance Morris

 

Out: Charlie Stobo

Captain Sam Whiteman and star quick Lance Morris return for the three-time reigning champions who despite currently sitting last in the standings, are fewer than five points (one win) shy of Victoria in second place.

Whiteman will lead the state against Queensland at the Gabba having recovered from the foot infection that saw him miss last week's Shield and One-Day Cup losses to South Australia.

Morris also sat out the Shield match against South Australia due to Cricket Australia's workload management plan. Seamer Charlie Stobo makes way for Morris in the 13-player travelling squad.

South Australia v Tasmania, Adelaide Oval, 18-21 February

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SA squad: Jordan Buckingham, Brendan Doggett, Henry Hunt, Jake Lehmann, Ben Manenti, Nathan McAndrew, Conor McInerney, Nathan McSweeney (c), Harry Nielsen, Lloyd Pope, Jason Sangha, Liam Scott

 

Ins: Nathan McSweeney, Harry Nielsen

 

Outs: Wes Agar, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Harry Matthias, Daniel Drew

Skipper Nathan McSweeney returns for ladder-leaders South Australia after being part of Australia's Test squad for the tour of Sri Lanka. Wicketkeeper Harry Nielsen has been also named after taking time off for the birth of his son, with Harry Matthias dropping out of the 12-man squad.

Seamer Wes Agar also misses the squad for the home clash with Tasmania, while Jake Fraser-McGurk has joined the ODI squad in Pakistan for the Champions Trophy.

The last encounter between these two states was SA's thrilling two-run win in Hobart prior to KFC BBL|14, which ended with a run out on the final ball of the match. That victory put SA to the top of the Shield standings, where they remain.

Tasmania squad: Jordan Silk (c), Gabe Bell, Jake Doran, Kieran Elliott, Brad Hope, Riley Meredith, Aidan O'Connor, Mitch Owen, Nivethan Radhakrishnan, Tim Ward, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster

 

Ins: Beau Webster, Mitch Owen, Riley Meredith

 

Outs: Will Prestwidge, Raf MacMillan, Lawrence Neil-Smith, Caleb Jewell

Tasmania have been boosted by the returns of reigning Sheffield Shield player-of-the-season Beau Webster, who is back from Test duties in Sri Lanka, BBL final hero Mitchell Owen and paceman Riley Meredith.

But Matthew Kuhnemann, whose 16-wicket series in Galle was soured by being cited by the ICC for a suspect bowling action, will not join him. While Kuhnemann is barred from international cricket before he undergoes testing on his action, he is free to play in Australian domestic competitions.

However, Tasmania cited his thumb injury as the reason for his omission from their Shield squad; the left-arm spinner played the entire Sri Lanka series with a broken right thumb that he underwent surgery on only weeks earlier. He has since consulted with the surgeon who performed the operation after returning to Australia.

Caleb Jewell has been dropped while Lawrence Neil-Smith suffered a hamstring injury in last week's tight win over Victoria. Owen slammed a 19-ball 48 in last week's One-Day Cup win over Victoria after a brief stint playing South Africa's domestic T20 competition.

Sheffield Shield standings 2024-25

Team	Matches played M	Wins W	Losses L	Drawn D	No results N/R	Deductions Ded.	Batting Bonus Bat	Bowling Bonus Bowl	Total points PTS
1 South Australia Men SA	10	6	1	3	0	0	7.61	9	55.61
2 Queensland Bulls QLD	10	3	3	4	0	0	9.06	8.7	39.76
3 Victoria Men VIC	10	4	5	1	0	0	5.19	9.3	39.49
4 NSW Men NSW	10	3	4	3	0	0	6.99	8.4	36.39
5 Tasmanian Tigers Men TAS	10	3	5	2	0	0	7.72	8.2	35.92
6 Western Australia Men WA	10	3	4	3	0	0	5.83	8.6	35.43

Legend

M: Matches played

W: Wins

L: Losses

D: Drawn

N/R: No results

Ded.: Deductions

Bat: Batting Bonus

Bowl: Bowling Bonus

PTS: Total points