Cricket News

If the Sheffield Shield final petered out inevitably to a dull draw in front of a small gathering at Manuka Oval, then there was no fizz lacking in the celebrations of a New South Wales team toasting their first domestic title since 2008

New South Wales are effectively one day away from lifting the Sheffield Shield after most of the fourth day of the final against Western Australia was washed out in Canberra

Josh Hazlewood's six-wicket haul kept New South Wales firmly in control of the Sheffield Shield final, despite Mitchell Marsh's efforts to drag Western Australia back into the contest with an unbeaten 92

Josh Hazlewood shattered Western Australia's top order in an extraordinary burst late on day two of the Sheffield Shield final

Not only was day one of Canberra's first Sheffield Shield final a pleasingly twisting contest between New South Wales and Western Australia, it was also a neat encapsulation of the new skills being honed by the shift away from seaming pitches

New South Wales and Western Australia will compete the Sheffield Shield final, with both having battled internal politics and disciplinary issues to reach the stage

Marcus North has completed a remarkable turnaround after being dropped by Western Australia last summer, having been named the Sheffield Shield Player of the Year at a ceremony in Canberra

Scans have revealed that Michael Clarke suffered a fractured shoulder during his gutsy century in the Cape Town Test, an innings that featured a sustained bouncer barrage from Morne Morkel

An unbeaten century from Rob Quiney denied Queensland the victory they needed to reach the Sheffield Shield final and ensured Western Australia would play in their first decider for 15 years

New South Wales will host the Sheffield Shield final in Canberra after their captain Steven Smith played a key role in steering them to a tense three-wicket win over Western Australia

Shaun Marsh ground out a second-innings century to give Western Australia a fighting chance, after their batsmen had collapsed spectacularly in the first in Canberra

Peter Forrest's unbeaten century led Queensland to a commanding lead on the third day, and set Victoria a stiff challenge to draw the match at the MCG

Evan Gulbis made the second highest first-class score for a No.8 batsman and then took 4 for 7 to spearhead Tasmania's innings-and-316-run victory against South Australia

Peter Forrest led a solid batting display from Queensland on the second day in Melbourne as they sought the victory they needed to earn a place in the Sheffield Shield final

Evan Gulbis' maiden first-class century has left South Australia needing a miracle if they are to reach the Sheffield Shield final for the first time since 1995-96

Ashton Agar picked up five wickets to lead a Western Australia fightback but they followed that with a batting collapse that ensured New South Wales remained well on top after two days in Canberra

Jackson Bird's six-wicket haul and an unbeaten 83 from Mark Cosgrove gave Tasmania the edge on the first day of their Sheffield Shield match against South Australia in Hobart

Doug Bollinger and Josh Hazlewood gave New South Wales the perfect start in their push to earn hosting rights for the Sheffield Shield final, skittling Western Australia for 82 on the first day of their match in Canberra

Queensland captain James Hopes proved dangerous with the new ball before Victoria recovered somewhat through half-centuries to David Hussey and John Hastings on the first day in Melbourne

Cricket Australia remains confident that a day-night Test against New Zealand in November 2015 will be feasible despite mixed reviews from players and coaches after a trial in last week's Sheffield Shield matches