All You Need to Know for the Sheffield Shield final

Match details

Queensland host New South Wales in the 2020-21 Marsh Sheffield Shield final at Allan Border Field from April 15-19.

The Bulls host the competition decider after finishing top of the table after the regular season, with the Blues just 1.66 points behind in second place.

Queensland are undefeated in their past three matches at the venue (one win, two draws), but their  previous three games failed to deliver a victory.

The bonus points system that is used in the regular season will feature in the final should there be a draw. For a full explainer on how bonus points are earned, click here. 

It is a star-studded affair in Brisbane with 14 players boasting international experience, despite a handful of players, including Steve Smith, Pat Cummins and David Warner, unavailable due to IPL commitments.

Each of the five days start at 9:30am AEST with free entry to AB Field. If you can't get to the ground there are plenty of ways to follow the action. More on that below.

How can I watch, listen and follow?

As was the case in the 2018-19 season, this year's Sheffield Shield final will be broadcast exclusively in Australia on Foxtel and Kayo Sports. Fans can sign up to Kayo today for a free 14-day trial that gives you access to plenty of cricket from around the globe, as well as a host of other sports, all live on your favourite device.

Viewers in New Zealand can watch the Shield final on Sky Sport, while fans in other overseas countries can enjoy live streaming via the cricket.com.au Facebook page. More info on how to access the streams can be found here.

Fans around the world can also catch live scores, match highlights – including replays of every wicket – and all the latest news on cricket.com.au and the CA Live app.

Squads

Queensland: Usman Khawaja (c), Xavier Bartlett, Joe Burns, Brendan Doggett, Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Matthew Renshaw, Billy Stanlake, Bryce Street, Mitchell Swepson, Jack Wildermuth

The Bulls welcome back allrounder Jack Wildermuth for the final having missed the last round of the Shield due to the birth of his first child. Paceman James Bazley makes way for Wildermuth.

New South Wales: Sean Abbott, Harry Conway, Trent Copeland, Jack Edwards, Matthew Gilkes, Josh Hazlewood, Lachlan Hearne, Baxter Holt, Daniel Hughes, Nathan Lyon, Kurtis Patterson (c), Jason Sangha, Tanveer Sangha, Mitch Starc

Kurtis Patterson will captain the Blues with Peter Nevill remaining in Sydney to be with his wife for the birth of their second child.

Uncapped leg-spinner Tanveer Sangha has been included in NSW's 14-man squad but is unlikely to play given the Blues powerful pace attack and champion off-spinner Nathan Lyon.

The officials

On-field umpires - Sam Nogajski, Paul Wilson

Third umpire - Donovan Koch

Match referee - Bob Parry

Scorers - Tracey Moody, Doug O'Neill

Last time they met

In what turned out to be a Shield final preview, the Bulls and Blues squared off in the final round of the regular season in Wollongong. On a flat pitch the batters dominated, with Jason Sangha and Marnus Labuschagne scoring centuries.

Spinners Nathan Lyon and Mitch Swepson claimed six wickets each and their head-to-head battle could decide the Shield final.

History

NSW are chasing a record 48th Shield title while Queensland are hoping for title No.9.

The Blues are defending champions after being crowned winners last summer when the competition was cut short due to the surging COVID-19 pandemic.

Stats

The Blues have dominated the Bulls in recent seasons, losing just one of their past 13 clashes – in March 2018.

NSW are also looking to complete back-to-back titles for the first time since 1993-94, while Queensland were last crowned Shield champions in 2017-18.

NSW also holds the upper hand from 235 Shield clashes between the pair, triumphing in 108 times compared to Queensland’s 57, with the remaining matches drawn or tied.

What the captains said

Usman Khawaja (Queensland)

“It’s a Shield final, you don’t get a lot of them, so looking forward to hopefully winning. But…it’s been amazing what we as a cricket organisation have been able to do. There’s a lot of hard work to be done at the start of the year, we weren’t sure if we were going to play honestly. You look back on it and think, wow, we’ve done really well to play eight Shield games, five (Marsh Cup) one-dayers, the whole BBL.

“It took a lot of work, a lot of effort, a lot of long hours from CA, ACA guys behind the scenes, a lot of sacrifices made obviously by players in terms of being away from their families, being in hubs, being in bubbles. It’s taken a lot to get to this point, so I think it’s just a great credit to cricket to get to where we are now.”

Kurtis Patterson (NSW)

“The competition itself I think is such a strong competition. To only have six teams in a pretty serious cricket playing nation, the standard’s always incredibly high and I think it shows when those Shield cricketers progress in Test cricket, it’s not as much of a jump as it probably is in other countries.

“To have a final go from four to five days adds another layer and I think it’s certainly the closest thing we have to Test cricket. It’s obviously a bit more added pressure, few more things going on outside of the game, so it’s a great for players to experience this now hopefully on their journey to playing Test cricket.”

Players to watch

Marnus Labuschagne (Queensland)

Australia’s Test No.3 has been typically brilliant this season, racking up three centuries among 629 runs at 69.88. He has hit centuries in both matches against the Blues and is the most important scalp for their star-studded attack.

Nathan Lyon (NSW)

The star off-spinner is the competition’s leading wicket-taker with 39 at an average of 25 from eight matches. Lyon has collected three five-wicket hauls and returned 6-128 in a player-of-the-match display against the Bulls earlier this month.

The 2021 Marsh Sheffield Shield final will be broadcast LIVE in Australia on Foxtel & Kayo Sports. ABC Grandstand's live radio coverage will also be available on cricket.com.au & the CA Live app. Viewers in NZ can watch via Sky Sport, while fans in other countries can stream via Facebook HERE