All the round nine Sheffield Shield squads as they drop

Travis Head leads the star inclusions for round nine of the Sheffield Shield season as members of Australia’s T20 squad return to domestic cricket following their early exit from the T20 World Cup.

Josh Inglis, Cooper Connolly (both Western Australia), Matthew Renshaw (Queensland), Matthew Kuhnemann (Tasmania) and Sean Abbott (NSW) will join Head in turning out for their respective states from Thursday this week.

Head’s South Australia are locked in a tight tussle with Queensland in the race to face Victoria in the Shield final later this month.

SA are (33.43) less than a point behind the second-placed Bulls (34.38) with two rounds to go, with the Tigers (28.23) and Blues (27.83) further back but still a chance of claiming second spot. WA (17.19) are the only team out of contention and sit at the bottom of the standings with one win from eight games.

Check out all the squad news for round nine below.

Tasmania v Victoria, Bellerive Oval, March 5-8

Click here for the Match Centre

Tasmania squad: To be announced

Tasmania will be boosted by the return of Aussie spinner Matthew Kuhnemann as they take on Victoria in the Scott Mason Memorial match. Test stars Beau Webster and Jake Weatherald have hit top form as the Tigers eye a late charge for a spot in the final. Captain Jordan Silk is also in line to make a rapid comeback from a “small crack in (his) humerus bone” at the top of his left shoulder suffered while fielding in their one-day loss to WA on February 10.

Victoria squad: Will Sutherland (c), Dylan Brasher, Sam Elliott, Peter Handscomb, Sam Harper, Marcus Harris, Campbell Kellaway, Blake Macdonald, Todd Murphy, Fergus O’Neill, Mitch Perry, Matt Short

 

In: Marcus Harris. Outs: Scott Boland, Oliver Peake

With a home final already locked away, it gives Victoria a chance to manage their firing pace attack heading into penultimate round of the season, and they’ve done as such with Australian star Scott Boland who will sit out this match. Marcus Harris will make his comeback from back surgery over the BBL break after returning to club cricket last weekend with scores of 1 and 27 for St Kilda. Young gun Oliver Peake drops out of a 12-man squad and is also being managed following a busy three-month period that included a breakout BBL campaign and leading Australia at the Under-19 World Cup in Africa.

Queensland v WA, Gabba, March 5-8

Click here for the Match Centre

Queensland squad: Marnus Labuschagne (c), Hugo Burdon, Benji Floros, Lachlan Hearne, Hayden Kerr, Usman Khawaja, Jimmy Peirson, Matthew Renshaw, Jem Ryan, Jack Sinfield, Sam Skelly, Mitchell Swepson, Hugh Weibgen, Jack Wildermuth

 

Ins: Benji Floros, Jack Wildermuth, Jack Sinfield, Matthew Renshaw. Outs: Michael Neser, Tom Straker, Angus Lovell

Marnus Labuschagne’s side gets Matthew Renshaw back from the T20 World Cup with the left-hander enjoying a fine summer across all three formats. He hit 112 in his most recent Shield outing, and the Bulls will be hoping for more of the same this week as they seek to solidify second spot on the table.

Xavier Bartlett won’t play in round nine as he builds up his workloads following the T20 World Cup, but he’ll be available for their round 10 clash with Tasmania before heading to the IPL to join the Ricky Ponting-coached Punjab Kings.

With a tight turnaround between the remaining two games and the final in Melbourne if Queensland qualify, the Bulls will manage the workloads of fast bowlers Michael Neser and Tom Straker. They’ve been replaced by allrounder Jack Wildermuth and Benji Floros in an extended 14-player squad, with off-spinner Jack Sinfield also back in the mix.

Western Australia squad: Sam Whiteman (c), Cameron Bancroft, Hilton Cartwright, Cooper Connolly, Brody Couch, Albert Esterhuysen, Sam Fanning, Cameron Gannon, Jayden Goodwin, Josh Inglis, Matt Kelly, Joel Paris, Corey Rocchiccioli

 

Ins: Hilton Cartwright, Cooper Connolly, Josh Inglis, Matt Kelly, Joel Paris. Outs: Joel Curtis, Kade Povey, Jhye Richardson, Ashton Turner, Teague Wyllie

Western Australia will be boosted by the returns of Josh Inglis and Cooper Connolly in round nine. They can’t make qualify for the final anymore but two wins to finish the season and other results falling their way will see them avoid a second straight bottom-of-the-table result.

Hilton Cartwright also returns to the 13-player squad after missing previous match against Victoria with a hamstring injury. Fast bowling duo Matt Kelly and Joel Paris are back in the frame having both made successful returns from injury in their One-Day Cup win over the Vics last month.

Kelly was a standout performer earlier this season for WA, taking 21 wickets at 19.33 in the first four matches of the Shield season, while Paris’ lone red-ball outing this summer was in the opening game of the season against NSW.

Fellow quick Jhye Richardson will miss the match under a Cricket Australia management plan. Allrounder Kade Povey, who made his debut in the previous match against Victoria, has been ruled out with split webbing, while Ashton Turner, Teague Wyllie and wicketkeeper Joel Curtis have been omitted.

South Australia v NSW, Karen Rolton Oval, March 5-8

Click here for the Match Centre

South Australia squad: To be announced

Test opener Travis Head is back for round nine as the defending champions push to reach a second straight Sheffield Shield final. It will be Head’s second game of the season after scoring 9 and 15 in their win over Tasmania in November prior to the Ashes.

Less than the six points on offer for a Shield win separate SA in third and NSW in fifth. Emerging left-arm quick Campbell Thompson will miss the rest of the season after sustaining a moderate grade hamstring tear during their one-day clash with Queensland last month, while Wes Agar (back) and Brendan Doggett (hamstring) also remain sidelined.

NSW squad: Kurtis Patterson (c), Sean Abbott, Joel Davies, Peter Francis, Matt Gilkes, Ryan Hadley, Liam Hatcher, Sam Konstas, Josh Philippe, Will Salzmann, Tanveer Sangha, Lachlan Shaw, Charlie Stobo

 

Ins: Sean Abbott, Matthew Gilkes. Outs: Charlie Anderson, Jack Edwards

Australia’s travelling reserve Sean Abbott returns from T20 World Cup duties and alongside Matthew Gilkes has been included as NSW seek to keep their Shield final hopes alive against SA. Kurtis Patterson will lead the side in the absence of Jack Edwards, who will miss with a hamstring injury. 

In the back of the mind of the NSW players will be next week’s (March 11) One-Day Cup decider against Tasmania.

Sheffield Shield 2025-26 standings