Australia’s Test stars will test their red-ball skills in the Sheffield Shield in October as they prepare for this summer’s Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
On Thursday morning, Cricket Australia released the domestic schedule for the 2024/25 season, confirming dates and venues for the Sheffield Shield, Men’s Single-Day Cup, WNCL and the newly announced T20 Spring Challenge.
The fourth round of Sheffield Shield matches are scheduled ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at Perth Stadium on November 22.
Depending on fitness and workload, Australia’s Test players could be available for the first two rounds of the Sheffield Shield before the white-ball series against Pakistan begins in early November.
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NSW superstars Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Steve Smith have not played Sheffield Shield cricket since the summer of 2020/21, a four-year drought that could end in October.
The Blues will play South Australia, featuring Alex Carey and Travis Head, at Silverwater Cricket Central from October 8-11, before taking on Victoria at the MCG from October 20-23.
Earlier this year, NSW coach Greg Sifford declared that he wanted Smith to be available to open for the Sheffield Shield team as they prepare for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
“I’m sure we’ll be having that conversation,” Shipford told Fox Cricket in March.
“We obviously need to talk to Steve and work with the Australian cricket team.
“There will be no problem finding the right solution for him, whatever it may be at the time.
“We’ll just roll with it.”
Elsewhere, California has announced details of its inaugural T20 Spring Challenge, a nine-team tournament that will take place ahead of the 10th edition of the Women’s Big Bash League.
Eight WBBL clubs and ACT Meteors will host a 10-day competition in Sydney and Adelaide in October to complement the shortened Big Bash tournament.
“Elite domestic cricket is central to the continued success of Australian cricket and (the T20 Spring Challenge) will provide more players with the opportunity to gain top-level experience and showcase their talent, adding to the already strong WNCL and WBBL competitions.”
Cricket Australia’s director of cricket operations and scheduling, Peter Roach, said in a statement:
Meanwhile, the men’s singles final and the WNCL final will be played on the same weekend in early March, while the Sheffield Shield final is scheduled to be played from March 26-30.
2024/25 season domestic match schedule
WNCL
24 September: Western Australia vs. Tasmania | WACA Ground
26 September: Western Australia vs. Tasmania | WACA Ground
27 September: Queensland v New South Wales | Allan Border Field
27 September: South Australia vs. ACT | Karen Rollton Oval
September 29: Queensland v New South Wales | Allan Border Field
29 September: South Australia vs. ACT | Karen Rollton Oval
October 3: Queensland v Western Australia | Allan Border Field
4 October: South Australia v Tasmania | Karen Rollton Oval
October 4: New South Wales v Victoria | North Sydney Oval
5 October: Queensland v Western Australia | Allan Border Field
6 October: South Australia v Tasmania | Karen Rollton Oval
October 6: New South Wales v Victoria | North Sydney Oval
December 14: Tasmania v New South Wales | Blundstone Arena
December 16: Tasmania v New South Wales | Blundstone Arena
December 20: ACT v Queensland | EPC Solar Park
December 20: Victoria v South Australia | CitiPower Centre
December 22: ACT v Queensland | EPC Solar Park
December 22: Victoria v South Australia | CitiPower Centre
January 12: Queensland v Tasmania | Allan Border Field
January 12: ACT v Victoria | EPC Solar Park
January 12: Western Australia v New South Wales | WACA Ground
January 14: Queensland v Tasmania | Allan Border Field
January 14: ACT v Victoria | EPC Solar Park
January 14: Western Australia v New South Wales | WACA Ground
January 27: Victoria vs Western Australia | CitiPower Centre
January 28: South Australia vs. Queensland | Karen Rollton Oval
January 29: Victoria vs Western Australia | CitiPower Centre
January 30: South Australia v Queensland | Karen Rollton Oval
30 January: Tasmania v ACT | Blundstone Arena
February 1: Tasmania v ACT | Blundstone Arena
February 7: New South Wales v South Australia | Cricket Central
7 February: ACT v Western Australia | EPC Solar Park
February 7: Victoria vs Queensland | CitiPower Centre
February 9: New South Wales vs. South Australia | Cricket Central
9 February: ACT v Western Australia | EPC Solar Park
February 9: Victoria vs Queensland | CitiPower Centre
February 19: New South Wales v ACT | Cricket Central
February 19: Tasmania v Victoria | Blundstone Arena
February 19: Western Australia v South Australia | WACA Ground
February 21: New South Wales v ACT | Cricket Central
21 February: Tasmania v Victoria | Blundstone Arena (D/N)
February 21: Western Australia v South Australia | WACA Ground
Final – March 2: TBC vs TBC | TBC
T20 Spring Challenge
October 11: Sydney Thunder vs. Brisbane Heat | North Sydney Oval
11 October: Sydney Sixers v ACT Meteors | North Sydney Oval
11 October: Melbourne Renegades vs. Hobart Hurricanes | Karen Rollton Oval
11 October: Adelaide Strikers vs. Perth Scorchers | Karen Rollton Oval
October 12: ACT Meteors vs. Melbourne Stars | T.B.C.
October 12: Sydney Sixers vs. Brisbane Heat | TBC
12 October: Melbourne Renegades vs. Perth Scorchers | Karen Rollton Oval
12 October: Adelaide Strikers v. Hobart Hurricanes | Karen Rollton Oval
October 13: Sydney Thunder vs. Melbourne Stars | TBC
14 October: ACT Meteors vs. Brisbane Heat | Mosman Oval
14 October: Hobart Hurricanes vs. Perth Scorchers | Karen Rollton Oval
15 October: Sydney Sixers vs. Melbourne Stars | North Sydney Oval
15 October: Adelaide Strikers vs. Melbourne Renegades | Karen Rollton Oval
October 16: ACT Meteors vs. Hobart Hurricanes | Cricket Central
16 October: Sydney Thunder vs. Perth Scorchers | Cricket Central
16 October: Adelaide Strikers v Brisbane Heat | Karen Rollton Oval
17 October: Sydney Thunder vs. Sydney Sixers | Cricket Central
17 October: Melbourne Renegades vs. Melbourne Stars | Cricket Central
SF1 — October 19: 1st Division (TBC) vs 4th Division (TBC) | Cricket Central
SF2 — October 19: 2nd Division (TBC) vs 3rd Division (TBC) | Cricket Central
Final – 20 October: TBC vs TBC | Cricket Central
Men’s One Day Cup
September 22: New South Wales v Western Australia | Cricket Central
23 September: Victoria v Tasmania | CitiPower Centre
September 24: Western Australia v South Australia | Cricket Central
25 September: Tasmania v Queensland | CitiPower Centre
September 26: New South Wales vs. South Australia | Cricket Central
27 September: Victoria vs Queensland | CitiPower Centre
13 October: Western Australia v Queensland | WACA Ground
25 October: Victoria v New South Wales | CitiPower Centre
25 October: Queensland v South Australia | Allan Border Field
25 October: Western Australia v Tasmania | WACA Ground
November 6: South Australia vs. Victoria | Karen Rollton Oval
November 12: South Australia vs. New South Wales | Adelaide Oval
November 13: Victoria v Western Australia | MCG
December 3: Tasmania v Queensland | Blundstone Arena
February 5: Tasmania v New South Wales | Blundstone Arena
February 13: Queensland v New South Wales | Allan Border Field
February 13: Tasmania v Victoria | Blundstone Arena (D/N)
February 13: Western Australia v South Australia | WACA Ground
23 February: Queensland v Western Australia | Gabba
February 23: New South Wales v Victoria | Cricket Central
23 February: South Australia v Tasmania | Adelaide Oval
Final – March 1: TBC vs TBC | TBC
Sheffield Shield
October 8 – 11: New South Wales v South Australia | Cricket Central
October 8-11: Victoria vs Tasmania | CitiPower Centre
October 8-11: Western Australia v Queensland | WACA Ground
October 20-24: Victoria v New South Wales | MCG
20-23 October: Queensland v South Australia | Allan Border Field
20-23 October: Western Australia v Tasmania | WACA Ground
November 1-4: New South Wales v Queensland | Cricket Central
November 1-4: Tasmania v Western Australia | Blundstone Arena
November 1-4: South Australia v Victoria | Adelaide Oval
November 14-17: South Australia v New South Wales | Karen Rollton Oval
November 15 – 18: Queensland v Tasmania | Allan Border Field
November 15-18: Victoria vs Western Australia | CitiPower Centre
23-26 November: South Australia v Western Australia | Adelaide Oval
24-27 November: Queensland v Victoria | Gabba
24-27 November: New South Wales v Tasmania | SCG
December 6-9: New South Wales v Western Australia | SCG
December 6-9: Victoria v Queensland | MCG
December 6-9: Tasmania v South Australia | Blundstone Arena
February 8-11: Queensland v New South Wales | Gabba
February 8-11: Tasmania v Victoria | Blundstone Arena
February 8-11: Western Australia v South Australia | WACA Ground
February 18-21: Queensland v Western Australia | Gabba
February 18 – 21: New South Wales v Victoria | SCG
February 18 – 21: South Australia v Tasmania | Adelaide Oval
March 6-9: Victoria v South Australia | TBC
March 6-9: Tasmania v Queensland | Blundstone Arena
March 6-9: Western Australia v New South Wales | WACA Ground
March 15 – 18: Tasmania v New South Wales | Blundstone Arena
March 15 – 18: South Australia v Queensland | Karen Rollton Oval
March 15 – 18: Western Australia v Victoria | WACA Ground
Final – March 26-30: TBC vs TBC | TBC