Bulls seize the pole position in shield in the final push

Queensland has achieved the most out of favorable battle conditions with their lower order in South Australia remotely

West -Australia or New South Wales has to win victories, with every front -giving run -strikes on Tuesday on the last day of the regular season, to prevent Queensland from holding a place in the Sheffield Shield decision maker.

Jimmy Peirson and Jack Wildermuth's day three centuries against South Australia (who have already sewn the final hosting rights of Sheffield Shield) have put the bulls in pole position to set up a Karen Rolton Oval Rematch in next week's five-day game.

WA and the blues remain in the hunt in the last days of their respective competitions on the Waca ground and Bellerive Oval, but both have to post their highest fourth inner totals of the Shield season to cut outright points.

An outright victory for both would see them jump Queensland in second place. If both win, NSW will continue. Victoria cannot be eligible unless the bulls and blues lose, while Tasmania is eliminated from the fight.

^{The bonus points of Current Round included in the table above. Teams achieve six points for a victory, one point for a draw, no points for loss.}

Although the own path from Queensland to victory almost left by a flat pitch and does not have to push SA for a result, their backguard of the lower order may have won enough bonus points to secure second place on the rankings.

Taking only four SA wickets for the 100-over closing (and only seven before the home team that was declared at 7-614) meant that the men of Marnus Labuschagne had to pass to pass 330 within the first 100 overs of their answer to the possibility of a Victoria victory in Perth.

That seemed like a distant way for the bulls when they dropped to 5-86 on day two. But together with Michael Neser (68), Peirson (128 in six hours of Batting) and Wildermuth (104 of just 90 balls) made sure that the visitors there came comfortably on day three before they were thrown out for 370.

Queensland went to have 6-216 lunch today and required another 114 out of 25 overs after the break to bank the required bonus points.

But after Wildermuth 50 reached successive sixes from Sa Quick Henry Thornton, and he and Peirson regularly found boundaries that the task became relatively easy.

Queensland -Schipper Marnus Labuschagne was nervous with teammates in front of the dressing room of the Bulls in Rolton Oval, welcomed every border and then jumped up when Wildermuth Jordan Buckingham drove to the cover limit to reach 330.

“The good wicket is good, but we lost a few early, so there is a bit of pressure on us to reset our goal on what we should do,” said Peirson at the end of Day in Adelaide.

“We knew what the structure of the bonus points looked like after the competitions in Australia, we knew with the Victoria-WA game for us to stay in front if Victoria won the match in the front, we needed those bonus points of those Battinginings.

“We knew how the day was set up, to look at me to go through and we knew we had strength with Nes (Neser) and Jack Wildermuth behind us to come in and it just caught on.

“I have never played in a season in which three victories could possibly bring you to a hurtful, it is crazy to think.

“Today we had to get those bonus points that we did, and we will see how things come out tomorrow.”

With presumed Queensland Bank an extra point for the draw against SA, their batting effort of the first innings was sufficient to bring their points a total of 39.50, free from the maximum amount that the VICs can reach after not registering of battle vouchers against WA.

If the bulls continue, they will be the first team to qualify for a Shield final with only three victories in a completed season since 2003-04.

South Australia, three victories free from second place on the way to the last round of the season, had no stimulans to force the sequel on Monday, despite the leading of 244 on the first innings and can now essentially use day four as a center-wicket Batting exercise.

In view of the urge to play the Shield -final in Adelaide Oval, the Afl was ignored, Sa -Coach Ryan Harris would like to get used to scoring large runs in Karen Rolton Oval where they will return next week.

Queensland also showed that they had one eye on next week's decision maker, in which Bowler Michael Neser strike did not take the field for Sa's second innings this afternoon and had a serious recent workload, including 17 overs in extreme heat last Saturday.

“It has been a big season for Nes and we have asked a lot of him to hit seven o'clock, so it's just a chance for him not to bowle if he doesn't have to do that and hopefully to rest and get him going in the time of a week,” said Peirson today.

While Victoria stumbled 3-1 this afternoon in their second innings in another collapse of the middle order, the bulls hit back with the wickets of SA oppers Henry Hunt (21) and Conor Mcinerney (12) of successive deliveries.

SA skipper Nathan McSweeney (8NO) and Jason Sangha (24No), however, negotiated the last 11 overs to end stumps to end 2-66 and an impregnable 310 runs for the last day of the regular season.

Sheffield Shield Standings 2024-25

Team	Matches Played M	Win W	To lose L	Drawn D	No results N/R	Deduction Ded.	Batting bonus Bat	Bowling bonus Dish	Total number of points PTS
1 South Australia Men on	9	6	1	2	0	0	5.46	8.3	51.76
2 Queensland Bulls Qld	9	3	3	3	0	0	7.5	8.3	36.8
3 NSW -Men NSW	9	3	3	3	0	0	6.99	7.4	35.39
4 West -Australia Men By	9	3	3	3	0	0	5.83	7.6	34.43
5 Victoria -Mannen Vic	9	3	5	1	0	0	5.19	8.3	32.49
6 Tasmanian Tigers -Mans That	9	2	5	2	0	0	6.41	7.2	27.61

Legend

M: Matches Played

W: Win

L: To lose

D: Drawn

N/R: No results

Ded.: Deduction

Bat: Batting bonus

Dish: Bowling bonus

Points: Total number of points