Cricket-Match-Special ... A forum for discussion

That would be right. The only night I'm available to go in and it will be all over. At least the Vics are on a winning streak now - one game in a row!

largely a round of not much movement in the Shield ladder.

Tassie hang on for an undeserved draw against the Vics. The Dubbers also get a draw against the Sozzies, after pinching the first innings points. The Qbillies provided the only notable change with their big win over the Wozzies at the Gabba.

If my memory of the points after last round is correct, this would leave us with the top three teams level on points (26?) and the Billies only 4 points behind. Will make for an interesting last round. Don't know who plays whom.

Not as good as this time last year, when going into the last round, all six teams could make the final with 5 of them having a show of hosting it.

Now, Victoria and Tasmania are there just to provide someone to play.

Botha suspended for one game.

cricketfan90 wrote:Botha suspended for one game.

I was curious what it was for - he pleaded guilty to "repeated inappropriate conduct relating to the condition of the match ball". He was also reprimanded for using obscene, offensiveor insulting language.

While he pled (that should be a word) guilty, he disputed the penalty - seems lenient to me - and has 48 hours to appeal. (SA plays Tas in Bellerive last round).

The article maes no mention of if it was Botha doing the altering, or if he is copping the captain's punishment for a team action. I will need to explore further.

the Sozzies are definitely out of the running for the Shield final - they have a first innings deficit of 350-odd, and counting.

The Dubbers have moved to stand alone at the top, with first innings points over the Sandgropers, now on 28.

QLD's first innings points over the Vics bring them to even with both South and Western Aus, on 26 points. Prior to this round starting, the Gropers were ranked ahead of the other two on run rate/quotient/whatever, meaning that South Aus have no hope, and the any combination of the remaining three teams is theoretically possible.

My prediction is NSW v QLD in Sydney.

So, NSW are 0/9, needing another 204 to ensure a Sydney final.

If the Wozzies manage to bowl the Dubbers out, we are heading to Perth.

Assuming NSW win, the QBillies need to beat Vic (who are batting in their second innings, 0/34 and need another 239 runs to make QLD bat again) to make the final. Should Vic manage to bat out today and tomorrow, I think the Wozzies will be in the final - as they are the only team with 4 outright wins, atm.

Should WA bowl NSW out, we should be seeing a WA/QLD final in Perth.



Yes, all of this crunching of the numbers and checking the scores IS just to avoid work......

The Vics have been awful this year. Take out their international players and the cupboard becomes very bare. Another flogging is on the cards.

Seems odd that James Hopes would get to take the new ball for a state side. Though he did take wickets.

from_the_stands wrote:The Vics have been awful this year. Take out their international players and the cupboard becomes very bare. Another flogging is on the cards.

Tassie have been very hot and cold this season. The last two games are a great example of that - thrashed last week by the otherwise winless Vic, and now they go and deny the Sozzies the chance to play in this year's final.

Not only did they beat them by an innings and 300-odd runs, it became Tassie's greatest ever victory, and their 651 is their highest ever score. Evan Gulbis, batting at 8, made his first 1st class century aa good one - 229 - which is the highest by a number 8 in Shield history.


Not a great season for Tassie, but they go out on a good high.

Victoria doing their best to deny Queensland a spot in the final - at lunch the Vics are 1/174. Still another 99 runs behind the Billy's 1st innings score, but the 9 wickets in hand must be pissing QLD off.

Meanwhile in Canberra, things are getting very tense - NSW need only 25 runs to clinch hosting rights for the final, but WA are only 3 wickets away from doing the same. Steve Smith out the last ball before lunch for 89. WA must be full of it at lunch.

The winner here will win the final, imo.

Blues win, and will host the final. Vics are continuing to hold out Qld, with no doubt the Sandgropers watching and supporting the Vics.

New South Wales have won the Sheffield Shield this year in a rain affected final in Canberra. The SCG was unavailable on account of hosting the opening series of the US major league baseball season, played between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks. Steve Smith was wearing the armband for the Blues... a sign of things to come. Standout performances included a knock of 140 from Moises Henriques in the first dig, with a century to Smith in the second. Josh Hazlewood destroyed Western Australia by taking 6 wickets in their only innings.

Botha will stay on as skipper of SA for a 3rd season.

He's always been dodgy in my book, and now he is a confirmed cheat.

he's been cleared 3 times, but i still think he chucks it.