In a Sheffield Shield season dominated by turn, New South Wales and Queensland’s respective spinners hold the key when their sides take to the field on Thursday.
Leading wicket-taker Nathan Lyon (39 wickets) and Mitchell Swepson (29) will be particularly crucial if another batting-friendly surface is served up at Allan Border Field in Brisbane.
In recent times, the ground has been a bowlers graveyard.
This season, just one clash was held at the venue, which was abandoned after just 76 overs because of torrential Brisbane rain.
Before that, however, the previous two matches at Allan Border Field saw both teams’ first innings combine for 988 and 993 runs respectively.
If a similar batting-friendly surface is prepared for this week, Lyon and Swepson will become crucial partnership breakers, particularly when the ball ages beyond 50 overs.
The Shield final is a five-day affair, too, and with mostly dry weather forecast for the duration, the pair may well prove match winners on days four and five if deterioration occurs.
Mitchell Swepson (Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)
The two come into the clash having landed early blows.
In the match between the two states last week, Lyon was player of the match for his 6-128, while Swepson’s second innings 4-59 (including four top-six scalps) sent a strong warning.
It was apt that the two made the headlines in that match, as the 2020-21 Shield season will be remembered for the return of turn.
Three of the top five wicket-takers this season were spinners: Lyon, Swepson and Victoria’s Jon Holland.
To put this into context, no spinner had finished in the top five list in the previous three seasons.
Lyon has bounced back from a disappointing Test series against India to return impressive numbers.
Having struggled to make an impact against India (7 wickets at 55.1), he has played the dominant role since returning for NSW.
Nice, Gary. (WILLIAM WEST/AFP/Getty Images)
And while that may be expected from Australia’s greatest ever finger spinner, the results are a nod to his work ethic and continued drive to improve.
It would have been easy for Lyon to have requested a break after what every player termed a gruelling Test series.
Instead, Lyon and Cameron Green became the only players since 1975-76 to feature in every Test and every Shield game of an Australian summer.
Swepson too has hugely impressed this campaign.
While the calls for a left-arm finger spinner to partner Lyon will be strong when Australia tours Asia multiple times in 2022, Swepson is making an almost irresistible case to finally make his Test debut.
His 29 wickets have come in just four games this season; a neck injury curbing his involvement during the middle part of the season.
Perhaps most pleasingly for the leg spinner, he has single-handedly propelled Queensland into winning positions on numerous occasions.
Of course, other players are also set to play a big role in deciding this year’s final.
Marnus Labuschagne is in terrific touch, while NSW is set to roll out a Test-quality attack.
Mitchell Starc will be an interesting watch.
The left-arm quick has backed up a lacklustre Test summer with a similarly uninspired back-half of the Shield season.
In his four matches since the Gabba Test, Starc has taken just six wickets at an average of 74.8.
One would expect NSW to back him in for the final, but he appears a bowler crying out for an extended break to freshen up.
And for the fans?
Many will simply be hoping for an exciting contest.
Shield finals in recent years have hardly inspired, but a rule now exists (that was in place for the 2018-19 final) that deters the hosts from serving up a lifeless track.
In years gone by, a draw in the final would suffice for teams that finished the season on top.
This resulted in the home side often preparing flat surfaces.
In fact, in the six finals between 2012-13 and 2017-18, four were draws despite being five-day affairs (as opposed to four during the regular season).
Since the 2018-19 final, however, the winner is now determined by the same bonus points system that applies during the regular season.
That is, in the event of a draw, the winner is determined by first innings points accrued (provided at least 270 overs have been bowled).
The point system is as follows: each team receives 0.01 points for each run scored above 200 in the first 100 overs of their first innings, and 0.1 points for each wicket within 100 overs of their opponents’ first innings.
Fingers crossed that means we won’t see another dull deck at Allan Border Field, and can finish the summer on a high.
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
Queensland beat WA in final in Perth in 1996-97 and then WA repaid in kind at the Gabba in 1998-99.
David Schout
Expert
Credit here: https://twitter.com/sirswampthing/status/1379339166069129221?s=21
Micko
Roar Rookie
Exactly. And it's not like we don't get the away side winning Shield finals, or at least pushing the home side close. I still remember WA having SA 9 wickets down at the death at AO in the Shield final in 1996?
badmanners
Roar Rookie
Lyon and Swepson have had great SS results and it's been gratifying to see spinners rise to the fore in Aus where it's generally all about pace. But I think it's a given that they will both perform well in the final so it's more about how the opposing batting line ups handle the threat. They can both bowl long spells at a miserly run rate so seeing them off is not an option, I think it will be about keeping the scoreboard ticking over without losing wickets and with NSW missing Smith, Warner and Henriques I feel Queensland may be better equipped. And it pains me to say that as dyed in the wool Blues fan. :crying: A lot of pressure on Sean Abbott to have a big game for us.
Jeff
Roar Rookie
"...or put in a professional nuetral curator. I mean we wouldn’t expect umpires to be biased in a final so why the curator." Home ground advantage for the team finishing top?
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Would love to think that was the start of him working things out and turning his form around. But even out of form Starc can still have the odd good white ball bowling performance. Would be great if he has started working things out and comes out and bowls well in the Shield final!
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Maybe one advantage of bonus points over just first innings points is bonus points doesn't discourage declarations. If it's just first innings points, then if you were approaching 450 with lots of wickets in hand and thinking about a declaration, you might be demotivated to do it, because 470 all out beats 2/450, so you might think you need to err on the side of caution and bat on to 600+, effectively killing the game as a contest. While with the bonus points having finished after the 100 over mark, the declaration can then just come down to the best option to win the game.
Brian
Guest
The points for a wicket still doesn't negate the fact that you are rewarding teams that score quicker. Say the pitch is a road (if its not then we can expect a result in 5 days so the points system is irrelevant). Qld go out there and being a road get themselves to 2/290 from 100 overs. They earn 0.9 points to NSW 0.2. They then proceed in a regular fashion declaring an hour before the close of Day 2 at 7/572 dec. NSW knowing the pitch and the points system, attack and make 8/390 in the first 100 and then all out 398. They get 1.9 point to Qld 0.9. The game peters out to a draw. Total points are NSW 2.1 to Qld 1.8 and NSW are champions. You could do the same in reverse but we are valuing a quickfire useless 30 or 40 the likes of which Head & Wade seem to always get over a slow 30 or 40 when in actual Test matches it does not matter much. Surely a better system would be to either reward the higher first innings score or put in a professional nuetral curator. I mean we wouldn't expect umpires to be biased in a final so why the curator.
Rellum
Roar Guru
I am suggesting that if you bowl the opposition out cheaply you will have a distinct advantage irrespective of the bonus points.
JOHN ALLAN
Guest
Good afternoon Rellum. Perhaps I’m old or confused or perhaps both however under the old system, the home side could force a draw even if trailing significantly on the first innings & claim the Shield. Under the new points system, they would have to chase a win as there are no further bonus points allocated after the two first innings are completed. I predict that as the two first innings are so vital, both teams will have their calculators handy particularly if the scores are both around 350-400 as that would significantly eat into the 5 days & potentially reduce the chances of a result.
matth
Roar Guru
"Lyon and Cameron Green became the only players since 1975-76 to feature in every Test and every Shield game of an Australian summer." That's a great piece of info.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Mmmm, that is a risk. That last pitch might be a one off. I would want a good hard look before choosing to bowl first. You also give up Sweppo bowling in the last innings.
Tom
Will be a bowl first pitch. Best conditions the bowlers will get at AB will be the first morning with the early 9:30 start. Anyone that watched the most recent match there against Vic before the rain came will know there was plenty in that wicket early.
Tom
Marnus technically played every match thread he possibly could have for Qld and Aus too. Only one he missed was the abandoned match which he was in the XI for.
Rellum
Roar Guru
the fielding side can obtain a distinct advantage by dismissing their opposition cheaply. Just take a moment. Ponder it. Re-read what you wrote and tell me what difference does the points system make there?
Paul
Roar Guru
perhaps throw in some points deductions as well for slow over rates, deliberate time wasting by batsmen, etc, just to keep the game moving.
JOHN ALLAN
Guest
Good morning Brian. With 0.05 points allocated for each wicket taken within 100 overs in the first innings, the fielding side can obtain a distinct advantage by dismissing their opposition cheaply. If they do that, then make a large score, they would drive the game over the 5 days similar to a Test match. The system makes the respective first innings for both teams vital especially if the wicket isn’t subject to deterioration.. On paper, NSW have the advantage of having a near Test attack whereas Queensland are stronger in the batting department. Should be an engrossing final.
Brian
Guest
From the figures he bowled pretty well in the Marsh Cup final
Brian
Guest
Wouldn't it be better to give the points to whoever has the highest first innings score, which they used to give 2 points for. Looking at the current system of runs over 200 in the first 100 overs its now obvious why we don't have any top order batsman like Elgar or Pujara who can bat time. I don't think deciding the Shield with run rate is really good either for the Test team or for the format iself which is suppossed to mirror test cricket.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Morning John, Right now I am not really fussed on the points system as I can't see it coming into play. I don't think it has help the sport in any way though.