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