Our 2025-26 Sheffield Shield team of the season

With only a handful of players averaging better than 40 with the bat and stacks under 20 with the ball, picking our 2025-26 Sheffield Shield team of the season was a difficult task.

So difficult in fact that we put it to a vote.

Like the eight head coaches do for the official Big Bash Team of the Tournament, eight of cricket.com.au’s sharpest minds put their selectors’ hats on to come up with their best XI from an enthralling Shield season.

Those with the most votes (scroll down for the final tallies) earned selection, meaning there’s sure to be plenty of debate over who should be in and out.

Cameron Bancroft (WA) – 5 votes

Matches: 10 | Runs: 674 | Ave: 33.70 | 100s: 1 | 50s: 5 | HS: 122

In a season where run scoring was among the hardest it’s been, Bancroft again separated himself from the pack, with only Peter Handscomb ahead of him at the end of the home-and-away campaign. After a slow start with four scores of 10 or fewer against NSW and Tasmania, the West Australian opener exploded to life in round three with a century against reigning champions South Australia.

The right-hander then posted 58 in the second innings and 76 in the first innings of their next match against Queensland to pass 50 three times in a row. Bancroft added another three half-centuries in the second half of the season (his six scores of 50 or better were the equal most alongside Jordan Silk), finishing with 57 in the final round as WA and NSW played out a thrilling draw.

Sam Harper (Victoria) (wk) – 8 votes

M: 10 | Runs: 645 | Ave: 37.94 | 100s: 2 | 50s: 3 | HS: 141no | Ct: 42 | St: 1

It’s been a career-defining summer across all formats for the Victorian wicketkeeper-batter, who was crowned the BBL player of the tournament in January. But it was perhaps his Sheffield Shield success that kickstarted his golden run as he went into the Big Bash break following blistering knocks of 54 from 40 balls against NSW, followed by 85 from 115 in his first go opening the batting. The innings against NSW included taking Test spearhead Mitchell Starc for 22 in an over before being dismissed off the final ball.

He produced more of the same when the Shield season resumed in February, becoming the first designated wicketkeeper in the competition’s history to score two centuries as an opener in the same match when he crashed 119 (109) and 141 (156) against WA at the WACA Ground in round eight. The following round he hit 93 in the first innings against Tasmania to help Victoria to their first Shield win in Hobart in more than seven years. Harper’s 14 sixes were the most of any batter in the Shield this season.

Matthew Renshaw (Queensland) – 7 votes

M: 6 | Runs: 499 | Ave: 49.90 | 100s: 3 | 50s: 1 | HS: 128

Renshaw’s start to the season was so strong that his Shield performances had his name tossed into the Ashes mix, most notably by his Queensland teammate Usman Khawaja. He hit three centuries in his first five innings as he stood out among an otherwise dysfunctional top order. His 112 in the day-night fixture against Victoria was instrumental in helping the Bulls knock off the previously undefeated Vics, who had won their first four matches.

Renshaw missed the last match before the Big Bash due to Australia A duties and the first two after the BBL as part of Australia’s T20 World Cup side but returned for the final two regular seasons matches as Queensland hunted a spot in the decider. Perhaps owing to three months without a red-ball appearance, Renshaw couldn’t add to his century tally for the season as the Bulls fell short of a spot in the Shield final.

Peter Handscomb (Victoria) (c) – 8 votes

M: 10 | Runs: 688 | Ave: 36.21 | 100s: 2 | 50s: 2 | HS: 104

No one has scored more Sheffield Shield runs in the past seven years than Peter Handscomb, with this his sixth straight season tallying more than 500 for the season. He began the campaign with a century in his first innings against SA, with his 48 in the final round against the same opponent putting him at the top of the run scoring chart at the end of the home-and-away season. The Victorian veteran also posted a century in his side’s high-stakes clash with a Test-calibre NSW line up in round four – his 30th first-class ton – and reached double figures in 14 of 20 innings this season.

Jordan Silk (Tasmania) – 6 votes

M: 9 | Runs: 586 | Ave: 34.47 | 100s: 1 | 50s: 5 | HS: 104

It was another ultra consistent year from Tasmania’s captain and most experienced player in Silk, who passed 50 six times across the season. While he’ll be disappointed at his conversion rate (his sole century came in the opening round against Queensland), he managed at least one 50-plus score against all opponents except for Victoria.

His 82 in the final round of the season effectively ended the Bulls’ hopes for back-to-back Shield final appearances and helped the Tigers finish the summer with a victory.

Jake Lehmann (SA) – 8 votes

M: 10 | Runs: 561 | Ave: 40.07 | 100s: 2 | 50s: 2 | HS: 113

Recently crowned Australian men’s domestic cricketer of the year continued his purple patch in 2025-26 to help SA qualify for consecutive Sheffield Shield finals. Lehmann struck a century on the opening day of the season against Victoria – his fourth in as many Shield matches – and another in round six against Tasmania. The left-hander also scored 96 in their round three draw with WA, which helped the reigning champions avoid a third straight loss to start the season.

Lehmann has signed a two-year deal with English county Hampshire but will return next season for South Australia as an overseas player.

Liam Scott (SA) – 8 votes

M: 9 | Runs: 496 | Bat ave: 41.33 | 100s: 1 | 50s: 2 | HS: 147

 

Wkts: 23 | Bowl ave: 25.52 | SR: 59.95 | 5WI: 1 | BBI: 5-33

It was a breakout season for 25-year-old allrounder Liam Scott who continues to impress with bat and ball in all three formats and was on Tuesday named the competition’s player of the season. In the Shield, he hit his maiden first-class century, pumping Tasmania for 147 (at a strike rate of 86) in South Australia’s win in the final match before the Big Bash break. He scored below 30 in just three of his 12 innings and went wicketless from only five of the 16 occasions he bowled.

While his top return was his career-best 5-33 in SA’s win over Queensland at the Gabba, his 3-26 against WA and 3-46 against Tasmania before Christmas were massive in turning around SA’s slow start to the season.

Sam Elliott (Victoria) – 7 votes

M: 7 | Wkts: 33 | Ave: 17.18 | SR: 34.39 | 5WI: 3 | BBI: 34.39

Sam Elliott wasn’t in Victoria’s best Sheffield Shield team at the beginning of the season but after his match haul of 8-50 helped smash an almost Test-strength NSW by 300 runs in his first game of the season in round four, he hasn’t missed since. He added two more five-wicket hauls, both against WA in round six and eight, to end the home-and-away season at the Vics’ leading bowler.

His biggest scalps this season include half of Australia’s Test top four – Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith – and he also claimed the nation’s T20 captain Mitch Marsh among his seven wickets against WA in round six. He’s locked in a selection battle with fellow right-armer Mitch Perry for the final, with his season average of 17.18 – second behind only Scott Boland among those to play more than one match – potentially tipping the debate in his favour.

Corey Rocchiccioli (WA) – 8 votes

M: 10 | Wkts: 38 | Ave: 28.10 | SR: 51.81 | 5WI: 2 | BBI: 5-47

The prolific West Australian off-spinner earns selection in our team of the season for the third straight year, with no bowler having taken more wickets than Rocchiccioli’s 122 at 27.81 in that period. The 28-year-old matched his 38 wickets from the previous season after taking 46 in the 2023-24 as WA won their third straight Sheffield Shield. Only two spinners featured in the top 20 wicket-takers this season – Rocchiccioli and Mitch Swepson (33).

Rocchiccioli’s second innings five-for against Queensland in November spun WA to their only win of the season, inspiring a Bulls collapse of 6-20 before he scored 24 not out with the bat to edge his team home in a one-wicket thriller in Perth. His second five-wicket haul came in another tense encounter against NSW in the final round as he again stood up with ball and bat to survive for 25 deliveries on the final evening to secure a draw.

Liam Hatcher (NSW) – 8 votes

M: 9 | Wkts: 44 | Ave: 19.84 | SR: 32.86 | 5WI: 2 | BBI: 5-51

Another player who enjoyed a breakout season, Hatcher had never taken more than 18 wickets in a single Shield season before 2025-26. Despite missing a game, Hatcher went on to lead the competition with 44 wickets, taking a wicket every 32.86 deliveries or roughly five-and-a-half overs.

The tireless right-arm quick took a wicket every innings in which he bowled at least seven overs, taking three or more wickets on 10 occasions. His best hauls were 5-88 against eventual ladder-leaders Victoria in round two and a career-best 5-51 against Tasmania in round eight, which if not for rain would have propelled the Blues to a vital victory.

Cameron Gannon (WA) – 5 votes

M: 10 | Wkts: 42 | Ave: 24.38 | SR: 47.52 | 5WI: 1 | BBI: 5-47

The metronomic right-armer was the only fast bowler to play all 10 matches this Shield season, an impressive feat given the ever-increasing demands on cricketers in the modern game. He was pipped by Liam Hatcher (44) for leading wicket-taker on the final day of the season, but it was still a career-best Shield campaign for the towering paceman.

Like Rocchiccioli, Gannon was crucial in WA’s only win of the season with four wickets in the first innings against Queensland in round four before holding his nerve to contribute 10 runs in an unbroken final-wicket partnership of 23 to secure victory. He then made the most of the MCG’s seaming conditions against the Vics in round six to collect his best return of the season with 5-47.

12th. Scott Boland (Victoria) – 3 votes

M: 5 | Wkts: 26 | Ave: 14.26 | SR: 32.65 | 5WI: 2 | BBI: 6-22

Almost snuck into the team of the season despite only playing five games owing to his superior average and incredible strike rate. Boland took at least one wicket in all 10 of his bowling innings this season, with no bowler to play multiple matches averaging better than his mark of 14.26, while only Test teammate Brendan Doggett (strike rate 31.84 in three matches) and Albert Esterhuysen (24.85 in two matches) struck more regularly than the Victorian’s once every 32.65 deliveries on average.

When combined with the 20 English wickets he took at 24.95 in five Ashes Tests, it’s been a dominant summer for the Australian quick. Boland’s best was his 6-22 to bowl the Vics to a 353-run thumping of WA in round eight to seal a spot in the Shield, while he also took eight wickets for the match against NSW in round two, taking the final five second innings wickets to seal a tense 38-run win.

Sheffield Shield final 2025-26

March 26-30: Victoria v South Australia, Junction Oval, Melbourne

The Sheffield Shield final will be broadcast live on cricket.com.au, the CA Live app, Foxtel and Kayo Sports