Pura Milk Cup unveiled

The Australian Cricket Board (ACB) unveiled the Pura Milk Cup during a function in the Long Room at the Melbourne Cricket Ground today.

The Cup, which is awarded to the winner of the national four-day first-class competition, replaces the Sheffield Shield.

ACB Chief Executive Officer Malcolm Speed said the new $10,000 trophy, produced by leading Australian silversmith Flynn Silver, was an important symbol for the game in Australia.

"The Sheffield Shield remains an important part of the game's history but as we move forward this role is to be taken on by the Pura Milk Cup," Mr Speed said.

"This new trophy has been commissioned and crafted to capture both the history and the future of the competition and has succeeded in capturing the essence of Australian cricket."

The Victorian Bushrangers and Queensland Bulls have the first chance to win the Pura Milk Cup when they compete in the final in Brisbane on Friday 17 March at Allan Border Field in Brisbane.

The Pura Milk Cup will be awarded annually with a new trophy to be produced each year.