Cricket Australia has on Thursday (September 24) announced the fixtures for the country’s premier the domestic first-class cricket competition – Sheffield Shield Trophy.
CA is working in partnership with the South Australian Government to make sure the Sheffield Shield competition go ahead under the government regulations and COVID-19 safety guidelines.
The Australian board has confirmed that the first four rounds of the Sheffield Shield competition will be held in South Australia in October-November 2020 while the remainder of the First-class games of the prestigious tournament, along with the Women's National Cricket League, the One-Day Cup, and the U-19 Female and Male National Championships are likely to be held in 2021.
The tournament is contested between teams from six states of Australia, with matches usually played on a home and away basis. But this year all matches will be held in South Australia in order to have the best possible chance to play a full domestic schedule amid the COVID-19 threat this year.
The CA has so far confirmed four venues for the Sheffield Shield Trophy – Karen Rolton Oval, Park 25, the ACH Group Stadium in Glenelg, and Adelaide Oval No. 2 for 11 matches with the last and final venue for the competition is yet to be decided.
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Meanwhile, the Round one matches of the Sheffield Shield begins on 10th October with South Australia taking on Western Australia and Queensland facing Tasmania. Due to the mandatory 14-day quarantine period for all Victorian arrivals into South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales have mutually postponed their round one game – which will be now played on 17th November.
The remaining of the three further rounds of the Sheffield Shield will be played in the October-November window before the 10th season of the Big Bash League (BBL) begins in December.
Nick Hockley, CA’s Interim CEO, stated: “The Marsh Sheffield Shield is an incredibly strong competition and for generations has been a crucial factor in the success of the Australian men's team. It is the envy of cricketing countries throughout the world. We would like to thank the South Australian government for their willingness to work together to deliver these fixtures.”
He further said: “Many people have worked incredibly hard to arrive at this outcome, whilst recognizing that player and staff safety and wellbeing remain the priority and having government restrictions in place to keep the community safe from COVID-19. CA will also be staging full rebel WBBL and KFC BBL competitions this summer, so there will be no shortage of action and opportunity for our women's and men's players.”
South Australia's Sports Minister Corey Wingard said: “This is fantastic news for the South Australian cricket fans and it's a testament to the wonderful job our state has done in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. The health and wellbeing of South Australia is our number one priority but safely holding sporting events like this will also help to boost the local economy and support jobs at a time we need it most.”
Whereas Alistair Nicholson, Australian Cricketers Association Chief Executive Officer, said: “Our players place an enormous value on our domestic competitions, and this has been reflected in their commitment and flexibility to get the game going.”
Here’s the Sheffield Shield schedule:
Round 1 -
October 10-13: South Australia v Western Australia, Karen Rolton Oval
October 10-13: Queensland v Tasmania, Park 25
November 17-20: New South Wales v Victoria, venue TBC
Round 2 -
October 19-22: South Australia v Tasmania, Karen Rolton Oval
October 19-22: Western Australia v Queensland, Park 25
October 22-25: Victoria v New South Wales, Adelaide Oval No. 2
Round 3 -
October 30-November 2: New South Wales v Western Australia, Karen Rolton Oval
October 30-November 2: Victoria v Tasmania, Park 25
October 30-November 2: South Australia v Queensland, ACH Group Stadium, Glenelg
Round 4 -
November 8-11: Queensland v Victoria, Karen Rolton Oval
November 8-11: Western Australia v Tasmania, Park 25
November 8-11: South Australia v NSW, ACH Group Stadium, Glenelg
(With IANS Inputs)
