Has Sheffield Shield final had its day?
Test opener Chris Rogers may have ended his career in Australia with a farewell century, but the future of the equally venerable Sheffield Shield final is under increasing scrutiny after yesterday’s plod in bleak conditions at Bellerive Oval.
Victoria trail WA by 133 runs after getting to 3-288, a sizeable deficit but one that holds no fears for the Bushrangers given their opponents have to take another 17 wickets in just two days as well as setting a target for a team with no interest in chasing it.
Senior officials at Cricket Australia are eager to do away with the final and consider it an anomaly at a time when it is becoming increasingly difficult to find sufficient time and grounds to fixture all three formats of domestic cricket.
Strengthening the claim of the anti-final lobby is the fact that it is a decade since the second-placed team won the final with just five underdogs in 32 seasons upsetting the minor premiers to claim Australia’s premier domestic prize.
The Warriors set out to become the sixth team to achieve the feat but Victoria’s solid top order, which gave up three wickets in 104.3 overs before heavy rain ended the day’s play just after tea yesterday, stymied that ambition.
“It is just about batting for as long as we can,” Rogers said.
“If we bat well and bat safe we are in a very good position.”
But Rogers said there was still merit in a five-day final which he said was the closest that many players would get to playing Test cricket.
“Shield finals are big games and you can see what it means to the guys in the change rooms,” he said.
“I like the system where the best side over the whole season wins the competition, but it also gives people a test of what Test cricket is about.
“Playing a five-day game under this sort of pressure is like Test cricket and that is important for players who are aiming at the higher level.”
Rogers cruised to his 72nd first-class century with a composed 112 that took him within 100 runs of 10,000 in the shield competition and 61 short of the unique feat of having 1000 against all six States.
