Scott Boland-led attack left visitors reeling before bad weather ruins Sheffield Shield final’s opening day
South Australia’s dream of lifting the Sheffield Shield in consecutive years might rest on Alex Carey adding another highlight to his stellar summer after the defending champions’ title tilt took a plunge against Victoria’s vaunted seamers.
Melbourne rain ensured only a solitary session of play was possible on the opening day of the Shield decider. The showers arrived as players were making their way onto the Junction Oval after lunch and there was no let-up until play was finally called just before 4.30pm.
Captain Nathan McSweeney (25no) looked the most convincing of the five batters who endured a testing reception across 28 overs from the Scott Boland-led attack, which bowled Victoria to the top of the regular-season Shield standings.
On Thursday, they had SA reeling at 3-55 at lunch, delighting the thousand-strong home crowd that piled in before the dark clouds set in.
Carey, the other Test-capped player in the visitors’ XI, was also unbeaten at stumps (on 11no) and will be eager to stave off late-season fatigue to add another fighting hand to cap a summer that saw him finish as Australia’s second-leading run scorer in the Ashes.
Incidentally, it was the Aussies’ second-leading wicket taker in that 4-1 decimation of England – Boland – who proved the Vics’ main threat on the green-tinged St Kilda surface, taking 1-19 from nine (mostly) probing overs.
His match-up with Carey on day two could define a decider in which first-innings bonus points are all-important; whichever team pockets more (0.01 is on offer for every run above 200, while a wicket nets 0.1, all in the first 100 overs) will lift the trophy in the event of a draw.
With up to 9mm and up to 6mm of rain forecast for days two and three respectively, a stalemate is on the cards despite the 2025-26 season marking one of the least productive for batters on record.
There were brighter skies this morning when the Vics’ skipper Will Sutherland inserted his opponents on a pitch sporting more grass than the one used for the match that concluded last week between these two sides.
The sight of Boland sending multiple balls down the leg-side in the game’s first over, including one that flew past Sam Harper for four byes, felt like AI-generated fake content.
The Test quick swiftly recalibrated after running off the ground for a pit-stop after that wayward first burst.
Mackenzie Harvey, out twice to Boland in the preceding Shield contest, continues to be haunted by the veteran quick, who this time seamed one away to find the left-hander’s outside edge.
Fergus O’Neill had also initially struggled to hold his line but, almost in concert with Boland, zeroed in during a nine-over opening spell as Henry Hunt succumbed to a full out-swinger which was nicked to Peter Handscomb at second slip.
When Jason Sangha, the hero of SA’s fourth-innings chase in last season’s decider against Queensland, was adjudged lbw to Sutherland for a nine-ball duck, the visitors were 3-21.
It took some dogged batting from McSweeney and Carey to ensure no further damage was encountered, with the former’s pulled four off Boland offering hope of further run-scoring resistance on Friday.
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
Team
Matches played
M
Wins
W
Losses
L
Drawn
D
No results
N/R
Deductions
Ded.
Batting Bonus
Bat
Bowling Bonus
Bowl
Total points
PTS
1
VIC
10
7
2
1
0
0
8.56
9.3
60.86
2
SA
10
4
2
4
0
0
7.61
9.2
44.81
3
QLD
10
3
4
3
0
0
8.18
8.2
37.38
4
TAS
10
4
4
2
0
2
3.73
8.5
36.23
5
NSW
10
2
4
4
0
0
6.94
8.6
31.54
6
WA
10
1
5
4
0
0
2.95
9.2
22.15
Legend
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
D: Drawn
N/R: No results
Ded.: Deductions
Bat: Batting Bonus
Bowl: Bowling Bonus
PTS: Total points
