Our 2024-25 Sheffield Shield team of the season

1. Jake Weatherald (Tasmania)

Matches: 10 | Innings: 18 | Runs: 906 | Batting average: 50.33 | 100s: 3 | 50s: 3 | High score: 186  

It was a remarkable return to the Sheffield Shield for this season's standout batter, Jake Weatherald, who topped the 900-run mark after playing only one game in 2023-24 during his first season in Hobart. No player peppered the boundary more than the former South Australian in 2024-25 (with 119 fours) as the left-hander aced one of the competition's toughest tests; opening the batting at Bellerive Oval. The runs came fast too; his strike-rate of 68 was well beyond what any of the competition's other openers managed. Weatherald went big every time he passed triple-figures – 186, 155 and 145 – to firmly re-establish himself as one of the country's best openers.  

2. Campbell Kellaway (Victoria)

M: 10 | Inns: 20 | R: 738 | Ave: 46.53 | 100s: 2 | 50s: 4 | HS: 165no

A late surge from the left-hander saw him pip fellow young gun Sam Konstas, as well as SA stalwart Henry Hunt, for the other opening position. Campbell Kellaway relished his move up from No.3, stroking his first two career centuries including a monster 165no in the final round to deny WA a Shield final berth. Returns from 77 and 79 in the preceding match against SA, top-scoring in both innings, were arguably as good as his two tons (the first coming against Queensland at the Gabba). Keep an eye on the 22-year-old over the coming years.

3. Kurtis Patterson (NSW)

M: 8 | Inns: 14 | R: 743 | Ave: 57.15 | 100s: 1 | 50s: 5 | HS: 167no

One-Test player Patterson was a forgotten player in domestic cricket after losing his spot in the NSW XI during last season but came back with a mountain of runs. After missing the first two matches, Patterson returned against Queensland with 91 and 66 before following up with 99 and 33 against Tasmania. The ensuing match against WA saw him break a Shield century drought of over 750 days as he notched his 12th first-class ton with his brilliant 167no at the SCG. The NSW No.3 batter showed an immense appetite to occupy the crease, finishing as one of only four batters to face more than 1,500 balls in the season, despite playing two fewer games than the other three.

4. Hilton Cartwright (WA)

M: 10 | Inns: 18 | R: 861 | Ave: 57.40 | 100s: 2 | 50s: 3 | HS: 171no

It was another prolific summer for Western Australia's most reliable batter, 33-year-old Hilton Cartwright. The Test-capped right-hander finished second on the run-scorer's list, his tally swelled by a career-best 171no against NSW. Cartwright has been such a dependable scorer for WA that across the past three Shield summers, only Cameron Bancroft (2,067) has more runs than him (2,019) from all teams. Regarded as one of the best fielders in the country, Cartwright also chipped in with five wickets with his more-than-handy medium pacers. 

5. Alex Carey (wk) (SA)

M: 4 | Inns: 8 | R: 612 | Ave: 87.42 | 100s: 3 | 50s: 2 | HS: 123no

The Test wicketkeeper only played four regular-season matches but, boy, did he make an impact. Scores of 90, 111, 42, 123no, 44, 42, 104 and 56 either side of Australia's summer Test assignments have come in a purple patch across red- and white-ball formats. No batter in the Shield who faced at least 500 balls for the season scored quicker (strike-rate of 77.46). Carey also pouched 17 catches and effected two stumpings, finishing with an average of 2.74 dismissals per innings, the best ratio in the competition. Expect the 33-year-old to be the prized wicket in next week's Sheffield Shield final.

6. Beau Webster (Tasmania)

M: 7 | Inns: 12 | R: 479 | Ave: 47.90 | 100s: 1 | 50s: 3 | HS: 113

Wickets: 19 | Ave: 30.05 | Strike-rate: 57.00 | 5-wicket hauls: 1 | Best bowling: 5-44

It's not easy backing up one of the greatest all-round Shield seasons of all time but Beau Webster made a good fist of it, earning a Test call-up amid another strong campaign for the Tigers. A final-game five-for under lights against NSW underlined his continued effectiveness as a seam bowler, while his round-one 113 against Victoria marked his fourth hundred in eight Shield games.

7. Jack Edwards (c) (NSW)

M: 9 | Innings: 14 | Runs: 435 | Ave: 33.46 | 100s: 1 | 50s: 2 | HS: 108

Wkts: 29 | Ave: 24.03 | SR: 53.82| 5WI: 2 | BB: 5-44

A breakout summer for Jack Edwards who had career-best season hauls for both runs and wickets, rivalling Webster as the competition's most effective allrounder. His move down to No.7 in the Blues batting order has proved sound, making consistent contributions including a ton against a strong Queensland attack at the Gabba. He also more than held his own as an out-and-out pace bowler, snaring his first ever 10-wicket match haul in an innings win over WA. If that wasn't enough, his bucket hands at second slip help net him 15 catches, while he also took over as Blues captain during the season. Unfortunately, a knee injury in the final match against Tasmania dinted his side's hopes of pushing for a spot in the Shield final. 

8. Nathan McAndrew (SA)

M: 7 | Wkts: 35 | Ave: 19.42 | SR: 38.31 | 5WI: 2 | BB: 7-11

One of the stars of the Sheffield Shield in recent times, McAndrew had another phenomenal campaign to follow his 48-wicket 2023-24 season. Two eight-wicket match hauls highlighted his importance in SA's surge to the final, the second coming in a wild WACA Ground clash in which the right-armer decimated WA to the tune of 7-11 in the second innings. McAndrew was always a threat with the new ball, while he also averaged close to 20 with the bat.

9. Fergus O'Neill (Victoria)

M: 9 | Wkts: 38 | Ave: 21.07 | SR: 49.92 | 5WI: 2 | BB: 5-51

The right-armer delights in exceeding traditional expectations and this season only reaffirmed his status as one of the competition's most feared seamers. No pace bowler took more wickets this summer and none bowled more overs, with his best outing coming against Queensland at the MCG when he took nine wickets for the match. O'Neill remains a major weapon on grassy surfaces, but his control has made him an increasingly solid bowler on flatter surfaces too. A winter stint at Nottinghamshire could help him push his 2027 Ashes case.

10. Corey Rocchiccioli (WA)

M: 9 | Wkts: 38 | Ave: 27.71 | SR: 53.02 | 5WI: 2 | BB: 7-52

The off-spinner from the west proved his 46-wicket breakout season last summer was no fluke, finishing as the Shield's leading tweaker once again. He took 38 scalps in nine matches, which included his career-best haul of 7-52 against Queensland and a hat-trick, across two innings, against Victoria. The sole match he missed for WA was due to his maiden call-up to the Australia A side, confirming his spot on the national selectors' radar. Rocchiccioli's consistency was a feature, going wicketless only twice in 17 innings, and showed his versatility by regularly bowling at the start of the innings, taking 10 wickets inside the first 20 overs which was only two behind the most in the competition.

11. Jackson Bird (NSW)

M: 7 | Wkts: 34 | Ave: 17.20 | SR: 40.50 | 5WI: 2 | BB: 7-46

Veteran seamer Bird has dominated this competition for over a decade-and-a-half and 2024-25 was no exception. The 38-year-old's bowling average was topped only by Scott Boland (16.40) and Joel Paris (16.53) among those to bowl at least 250 balls, with his 7-46 against eventual table-toppers South Australia the highlight of his season. Bird took at least three wickets in an innings 12 times and stormed past 400 career victims in the Shield in the process. Not bad if this season, as he has flagged, is indeed his final one.

Sheffield Shield standings 2024-25

Team	Matches played M	Wins W	Losses L	Drawn D	No results N/R	Deductions Ded.	Batting Bonus Bat	Bowling Bonus Bowl	Total points PTS
1 South Australia Men SA	10	6	1	3	0	0	7.61	9	55.61
2 Queensland Bulls QLD	10	3	3	4	0	0	9.06	8.7	39.76
3 Victoria Men VIC	10	4	5	1	0	0	5.19	9.3	39.49
4 NSW Men NSW	10	3	4	3	0	0	6.99	8.4	36.39
5 Tasmanian Tigers Men TAS	10	3	5	2	0	0	7.72	8.2	35.92
6 Western Australia Men WA	10	3	4	3	0	0	5.83	8.6	35.43

Legend

M: Matches played

W: Wins

L: Losses

D: Drawn

N/R: No results

Ded.: Deductions

Bat: Batting Bonus

Bowl: Bowling Bonus

PTS: Total points