Scott Boland’s 6-22 helped Victoria beat Western Australia by 353 runs and qualify for the Sheffield Shield final.
Scott Boland lifts Victoria to 16th Sheffield Shield final
Victoria qualified for the Sheffield Shield final for the 16th time with a 353-run win against Western Australia at the WACA in Perth. Chasing an improbable 468, WA resumed the fourth day on 26-2: they folded for 114 in the morning.
Leading the rout was Boland, who had struck twice in the third evening. He trapped Sam Whiteman leg-before with the third ball of the morning and soon had Cameron Bancroft and Teague Wyllie caught behind to leave the hosts reeling at 39-5: all five wickets had fallen to Boland.
Wicketkeeper Joel Curtis (59) helped WA reach three figures. He was the last to fall, caught off Boland, who finished with 6-22 in the innings and 8-49 in the match.
The Sheffield Shield began in 1892/93, but was played entirely in a round-robin league format until 1981/82. From 1982/83, the top two teams met in the final (with the exception of 2019/20, when Covid-19 prevented the final from being played). The 2025/26 edition marks Victoria’s 16th appearance in the final.
From four Shield games this season, Boland now has 22 wickets at 13.40, the best average among all bowlers with at least five wickets.
Match 23, Western Australia vs Victoria
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Sam Harper enters record books
Boland’s colleague Sam Harper, meanwhile put up an incredible display of endurance in the match. Opening batting, he top-scored with 119 as Victoria declared on 431-9. He then kept in both innings (holding five catches), which were punctuated by a 141 not out (as opener, again).
In the process, Harper became the second batter in the Sheffield Shield to score twin hundreds while playing as a designated wicketkeeper as well as the fifth keeper to do the same while opening the batting in a first-class match.
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