All the big names are back for what looms as the most epic round of Sheffield Shield cricket in recent years.
Every member of Australia’s 15-man Test squad for the Ashes opener expect Usman Khawaja will play for their respective states in round four in what will be their final red-ball hit out before the first Test against England on November 21.
New South Wales quicks Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are in line to make their first Shield appearances of the summer, as is South Australian batter Travis Head and WA wicketkeeper Josh Inglis.
Scott Boland will return for Victoria while Sean Abbott has been released from Australia’s T20 squad to join Starc, Hazlewood, Steve Smith and Nathan Lyon in a star-studded Blues outfit to host the Vics at the SCG from Monday.
New Test squad member Jake Weatherald will face off against fellow Ashes inclusion Brendan Doggett when Tasmania host SA also from Monday, while Queensland cross the country to face WA in Perth, with that match beginning a day later.
NSW v Victoria, SCG, November 10-13
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NSW squad: Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Ollie Davies, Jack Edwards, Ryan Hadley, Josh Hazlewood, Sam Konstas, Nathan Lyon, Kurtis Patterson, Josh Philippe, Will Salzmann, Mitchell Starc
Ins: Sean Abbott, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Philippe, Mitchell Starc. Outs: Liam Hatcher, Ryan Hicks, Ross Pawson, Charlie Stobo
Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are set to play for NSW for the first time this summer, joining Test teammates Steve Smith and Nathan Lyon in an all-star Blues XI with as many as eight internationally-capped players.
Hazlewood and fellow paceman Sean Abbott were released from Australia’s T20 squad to play in round four for NSW to prioritise their red-ball preparation ahead of the Ashes opener. Abbott returns for Blues after becoming the first player subbed out of a Shield match with injury when he split his webbing while fielding off his own bowling against Victoria in round two.
Smith will lead the Blues in round four in place of regular captain Jack Edwards. It will be the first time Smith has captained his state since 2017 as he prepares to lead Australia in the first Test with Pat Cummins injured.
Sam Konstas will be eager to make a statement after being dropped from the Test squad, while Kurtis Patterson will be aiming to keep his name in the conversation for higher honours after posting his first century of the Shield season and second for NSW this summer in the last round. Josh Philippe will return to take the gloves following Australia’s fifth T20 against India, with debutant keeper Ryan Hicks, Liam Hatcher, Ross Pawson and Charlie Stobo making way from the squad that took on Queensland at the Gabba.
Victoria squad: Will Sutherland (c), Scott Boland, Harry Dixon, Sam Elliott, Peter Handscomb, Sam Harper, Marcus Harris, Campbell Kellaway, Blake MacDonald, Todd Murphy, Fergus O’Neill, Oliver Peake
Ins: Scott Boland, Sam Elliott. Outs: Mitch Perry (managed), David Moody
Scott Boland returns for Victoria after being rested from their round three win over Tasmania. Boland, likely to take the place of injured Test captain Pat Cummins in the Ashes opener, took the last five NSW wickets to lift Victoria to a narrow 38-run win in his most recent Shield match last month.
Sam Elliott also comes into Victoria’s 12-man squad following his recent strong form in both the Second XI and One-Day Cup, with speedster David Moody making way and Mitch Perry rested after taking seven wickets in the last round.
Victoria are the only state to win all three of the Shield games this season and sit almost eight points clear at the top of the standings. Batters Campbell Kellaway and Marcus Harris both found form with centuries in the last round, while seamers Perry and Fergus O’Neill shared 13 Tasmanian wickets between them for the match.
“There’s a lot of belief in the group,” Vics coach Chris Rogers said. “To start the season with three outright wins is a credit to how connected and driven the players are. NSW always brings out the best in us; it’s one of those classic fixtures that every player wants to be part of.”
Tasmania v South Australia, Bellerive Oval, November 10-13
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Tasmania squad: Jordan Silk (c), Gabe Bell, Jackson Bird, Nikhil Chaudhary, Jake Doran, Kieran Elliott, Brad Hope, Caleb Jewell, Matt Kuhnemann, Aidan O’Connor, Tim Ward, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster
Ins: Matt Kuhnemann, Aiden O’Connor. Outs: Ruwantha Kellapotha, Riley Meredith
Jake Weatherald will play his first Shield match as an Australian squad member and will be out to keep pressing his case to be Usman Khawaja’s opening partner in Perth. The left-hander hit 94 in his last innings at Bellerive Oval in round two.
Allrounder Beau Webster is another looking for a statement score after missing out in both innings against Victoria in round three in his first match back from an ankle injury. Veteran paceman Jackson Bird is back to face South Australia, having missed the previous round with an illness, while Matt Kuhnemann is in line to play his first Shield game of the summer after returning from Australia’s white-ball squad.
Riley Meredith has been rested from Tasmania’s 13-player squad for this clash after a “heavy workload” in the past two Shield matches that has seen him bowl a combined 70 overs for returns of 12-201.
South Australia squad: Nathan McSweeney (c), Jordan Buckingham, Alex Carey, Brendan Doggett, Travis Head, Henry Hunt, Jake Lehmann, Ben Manenti, Nathan McAndrew, Jason Sangha, Liam Scott, Henry Thornton
Ins: Alex Carey, Travis Head. Outs: Conor McInerney, Harry Nielsen, Lloyd Pope
Test stars Travis Head and Alex Carey will play for South Australia in round four as they tune up for the Ashes opener on November 21. Head last played for the state in October last year ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series against India, while Carey played in round two against Queensland. The gloveman was also part of SA’s Sheffield Shield-winning side last March.
Their inclusion is set to create a squeeze in the reigning champion’s batting line-up that could see Nathan McSweeney, who hit a century in the previous round, asked to open again for the first time since being dropped from the Test team. Back-up Australian quick Brendan Doggett made a strong start to his Shield season in his comeback from a hamstring injury against WA in round four, taking six wickets in the first innings.
Opener Conor McInerney drops out of the squad for round four, leaving a vacancy at the top of the order, while wicketkeeper Harry Nielsen makes way for Carey and leg-spinner Lloyd Pope has also been omitted.
Western Australia v Queensland, WACA Ground, November 11-14
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Western Australia squad: To be announced
All eyes will be on Cameron Green as he returns to bowling in round four. Chief national selector George Bailey suggested Green could bowl as many as 20 overs in WA’s clash with Queensland at the WACA Ground, which will go a long way to proving his fitness to play as an allrounder in the first Test against England on November 21.
Josh Inglis, also named in the Test squad for the Ashes opener, will travel from Brisbane after the final T20I against India to join Green in WA’s Shield side for some red-ball match practice. Inglis last played for WA last December and his return means wicketkeeper Joel Curtis could be squeezed out of the XI despite his strong start to the season.
Meanwhile, WA captain Sam Whiteman will become the 14th West Australian to notch 100 Sheffield Shield appearances.
Queensland squad: Marnus Labuschagne (c), Xavier Bartlett, Jack Clayton, Benji Floros, Lachlan Hearne, Angus Lovell, Michael Neser, Jimmy Peirson, Matthew Renshaw, Gurinder Sandhu, Mitchell Swepson, Hugh Weibgen, Tom Whitney
Ins: Michael Neser, Xavier Bartlett, Gurinder Sandhu, Tom Whitney, Angus Lovell. Outs: James Bazley, Hayden Kerr, Usman Khawaja (adductor injury), Sam Skelly, Tom Straker
Opener Usman Khawaja will be the only member of Australia’s first Test squad not to play in round four as he manages a minor adductor strain. Australia insist Khawaja, who peeled off 87 last round against NSW, is in no doubt for the Ashes opener against England. Angus Lovell comes into the Bulls’ squad and looms as his likely replacement at the top of the order.
Paceman Xavier Bartlett is poised to play his first Shield game of the season following Australia’s T20 series against India, while veteran seamer Michael Neser returns to play against WA after being rested in round three. Allrounder Jack Wildermuth returned from a hamstring complaint for last Monday’s one-day clash with NSW but will sit out another Shield match.
Captain Marnus Labuschagne will be aiming to add a sixth century for Queensland this summer before joining the Test squad ahead of the Ashes where he is a hot favourite to earn a recall to the XI.
Gurinder Sandhu is back in the frame after his own hamstring injury kept him sidelined for the past month, and Tom Whitney is eyeing his first Shield appearance of the summer after making a successful return from off-season ankle surgery in last week’s One-Day Cup win over the Blues.
Sheffield Shield 2025-26 standings
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
3
3
0
0
0
0
2.39
2.6
22.99
2
QLD
3
1
0
2
0
0
4.9
2.3
15.2
3
NSW
3
1
1
1
0
0
1.55
2.8
11.35
4
TAS
3
1
1
1
0
2
1.63
2.2
8.83
5
SA
3
0
2
1
0
0
1.3
2.6
4.9
6
WA
3
0
2
1
0
0
0.66
3
4.66
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
