# 2014–15 Sheffield Shield season

The 2014–15 Sheffield Shield season was the 113th season of the Sheffield Shield, the Australian domestic first-class cricket competition. It was held after the conclusion of the Matador BBQs One-Day Cup and included a break halfway through for the entirety of the Big Bash League. Trials for day/night Tests with the pink ball continued from the previous season. This season introduced a new bonus point system based on the runs scored and wickets taken in the first 100 overs of both teams' first innings. Due to Australia and New Zealand hosting the 2015 Cricket World Cup, several matches in the later rounds could not be held at the usual home grounds of the teams. The final was contested between Victoria and Western Australia. Due to the final of the World Cup being held at the MCG, Victoria, who earned the right to host the final by finishing on top of the ladder, had to choose an alternative ground. They opted for Bellerive Oval in Hobart. The final was drawn, meaning Victoria won their 29th title by finishing on top of the table. Adam Voges was the leading run-scorer and was named man of the series, while Fawad Ahmed took the most wickets for the season. Round 4 was marred by the death of Phillip Hughes on 27 November 2014, two days after he was hit in the neck by a bouncer.

## Points table

| Team | Pld | W | L | D | NR | BP | Pts |
| Victoria | 10 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 20.43 | 57.43 |
| Western Australia | 10 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 15.84 | 49.84 |
| New South Wales | 10 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 15.26 | 47.26 |
| Queensland | 10 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 14.49 | 39.49 |
| Tasmania | 10 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 13.61 | 27.61 |
| South Australia | 10 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 10.91 | 24.91 |

## Round-Robin stage

| Visitor team → | NSW | QLD | SA | TAS | VIC | WA |
| Home team ↓ | NSW | QLD | SA | TAS | VIC | WA |
| New South Wales | | NSW Inns & 78 runs | Match abandoned | NSW 10 wickets | NSW 156 runs | WA 7 wickets |
| Queensland | Queensland 188 runs | | Queensland 5 wickets | Match abandoned | Queensland Inns & 13 runs | WA 95 runs |
| South Australia | NSW 168 runs | SA 8 wickets | | SA 5 wickets | Victoria Inns & 46 runs | Match drawn |
| Tasmania | NSW Inns & 91 runs | Queensland Inns & 50 runs | Tasmania 313 runs | | Tasmania 8 wickets | Match drawn |
| Victoria | Victoria 9 wickets | Victoria Inns & 14 runs | Victoria Inns & 1 run | Victoria 400 runs | | Match abandoned |
| Western Australia | Match drawn | WA 8 wickets | WA 8 wickets | WA 7 wickets | Victoria 117 runs | |
| Home team won | Visitor team won |
* Note: Results listed are according to the home (horizontal) and visitor (vertical) teams.
* Note: Click on a result to see a summary of the match.

### Round 1

* 31 October – 3 November Scorecard
* Victoria won by 9 wickets Melbourne Cricket Ground Umpires: Ashley Barrow and Paul Wilson
* Victoria won the toss and elected to field.
* Bonus points: Victoria 2.85, New South Wales 1.26
* First-class debuts: David King (Vic), Nick Larkin and Patrick Jackson (NSW)
* 31 October – 3 November Scorecard
* South Australia won by 8 wickets Adelaide Oval Umpires: Shawn Craig and Geoff Joshua Player of the match: Chadd Sayers (SA)
* Queensland won the toss and elected to bat.
* Bonus points: Queensland 1.24, South Australia 1.12
* Chadd Sayers took a hat-trick in Queensland's first innings
* First-class debuts: Marnus Labuschagne and Ben McDermott (Qld)
* 31 October – 3 November Scorecard
* Western Australia won by 7 wickets Western Australia Cricket Association Ground, Perth Umpires: Gerard Abood and Sam Nogajski Player of the match: Nathan Rimmington (WA)
* Tasmania won the toss and elected to bat.
* Bonus points: Western Australia 2.67, Tasmania 1.15
* First-class debuts: Hamish Kingston (Tas)

### Round 2

* 8–11 November (D/N) Scorecard
* Tasmania won by 8 wickets Bellerive Oval, Hobart Umpires: Damien Mealey and Sam Nogajski Player of the match: Ed Cowan (Tas)
* Victoria won the toss and elected to bat.
* Bonus points: Victoria 2.29, Tasmania 2.03
* 8–11 November (D/N) Scorecard
* New South Wales won by 168 runs Adelaide Oval Umpires: Gerard Abood and Wayne Knights (NZ) Player of the match: Nick Larkin (NSW)
* New South Wales won the toss and elected to bat.
* Bonus points: New South Wales 1.77, South Australia 2.43
* 8–11 November (D/N) Scorecard
* Western Australia won by 8 wickets Western Australia Cricket Association Ground, Perth Umpires: Ashley Barrow and Geoff Joshua Player of the match: Jason Behrendorff (WA)
* Queensland won the toss and elected to bat.
* Bonus points: Queensland 0, Western Australia 2.12

### Round 3

* 16–19 November Scorecard
* Match drawn Bellerive Oval, Hobart Umpires: Bongani Jele (SA) and Paul Wilson Player of the match: Simon Mackin (WA)
* Tasmania won the toss and elected to field.
* Bonus points: Western Australia 1.85, Tasmania 0.47
* 16–19 November Scorecard
* Queensland won by 188 runs Brisbane Cricket Ground, Woolloongabba, Brisbane Umpires: Shawn Craig and Damien Mealey Player of the match: Joe Burns (Qld)
* Queensland won the toss and elected to bat.
* Bonus points: Queensland 2.86, New South Wales 1.02
* 16–19 November Scorecard
* Victoria won by an innings and 46 runs Adelaide Oval Umpires: Greg Davidson and Michael Graham-Smith Player of the match: Peter Siddle (Vic)
* South Australia won the toss and elected to bat.
* Bonus points: South Australia 1.19, Victoria 1.24

### Round 4

The match between South Australia and New South Wales was abandoned after a hit to the head left Phillip Hughes in critical condition. The other matches in this round were abandoned before play on Day 2 as Hughes' condition remained unchanged. Hughes died on 27 November.
* 25–28 November Scorecard
* Match abandoned Sydney Cricket Ground Umpires: Ashley Barrow and Michael Graham-Smith
* South Australia won the toss and elected to bat.
* On Day 1, Phillip Hughes was hit in the head by a bouncer while batting and taken to hospital in a critical condition. The remainder of the day's play was immediately suspended and the match abandoned the following day. Hughes died two days later. His final score was initially recorded as "63 retired hurt" but Cricket Australia retrospectively amended the scorecard to "63 not out forever".
* 25–28 November Scorecard
* Match abandoned Melbourne Cricket Ground Umpires: Geoff Joshua and Sam Nogajski
* Western Australia won the toss and elected to bat.
* 25–28 November Scorecard
* Match abandoned Allan Border Field, Brisbane Umpires: Gerard Abood and Bongami Jele
* Tasmania won the toss and elected to bat.

### Round 5

Matches were originally scheduled for 5 to 8 December.
* 9–12 December Scorecard
* New South Wales won by an innings and 78 runs Sydney Cricket Ground Umpires: Greg Davidson and John Ward Player of the match: Sean Abbott (NSW)
* Queensland won the toss and elected to bat.
* Bonus points: Queensland 0.68, New South Wales 2.07
* 9–12 December Scorecard
* Tasmania won by 313 runs Bellerive Oval, Hobart Umpires: Ashley Barrow and Shawn Craig Player of the match: Ed Cowan (Tas)
* Tasmania won the toss and elected to bat.
* Bonus points: Tasmania 2.73, South Australia 2.02
* 9–12 December Scorecard
* Victoria won by 117 runs Western Australia Cricket Association Ground, Perth Umpires: Gerard Abood and Damien Mealey Player of the match: Daniel Christian (Vic)
* Western Australia won the toss and elected to field.
* Bonus points: Victoria 2.83, Western Australia 1.37

### Round 6

* 7–10 February Scorecard
* New South Wales won by an innings and 91 runs Bellerive Oval, Hobart Umpires: Gerard Abood and Michael Graham-Smith Player of the match: Peter Nevill (NSW)
* Tasmania won the toss and elected to bat.
* Bonus Points: Tasmania 1.72, New South Wales 2.91
* 7–10 February Scorecard
* Queensland won by an innings and 13 runs Brisbane Cricket Ground, Woolloongabba, Brisbane Umpires: Geoff Joshua and Chettithody Shamshuddin (India) Player of the match: Chris Lynn (Qld)
* Victoria won the toss and elected to bat.
* Bonus Points: Queensland 3.56, Victoria 1.10. Michael Philipson (Qld) made his first-class debut.
* 7–10 February Scorecard
* Western Australia won by 8 wickets Western Australia Cricket Association Ground, Perth Umpires: Shawn Craig and Paul Wilson Player of the match: Michael Klinger (WA)
* South Australia won the toss and elected to bat.
* Bonus Points: Western Australia 3.14, South Australia 1.28

### Round 7

* 15–18 February Scorecard
* New South Wales won by 156 runs Robertson Oval, Wagga Wagga Umpires: Mick Martell and Phillip Gillespie Player of the match: Stephen O'Keefe (NSW)
* New South Wales won the toss and elected to bat
* Phillip Gillespie made his first-class debut as an umpire.
* Bonus Points: New South Wales 1.56, Victoria 1.50
* Doug Bollinger (NSW) took a hat-trick in Victoria's first innings dismissing Peter Siddle, Chris Tremain and Scott Boland in consecutive deliveries
* 16–19 February Scorecard
* Queensland won by an innings and 50 runs Bellerive Oval, Hobart Umpires: John Ward and Chettithody Shamshuddin (India) Player of the match: James Hopes (Qld)
* Queensland won the toss and elected to field
* Play delayed by 75 minutes at the start of Day 2 due to rain and lunch taken early also due to rain on Day 2
* Bonus Points: Tasmania 1.50, Queensland 2.70
* 16–19 February Scorecard
* Match Drawn Gliderol Stadium, Adelaide Umpires: Greg Davidson and Damien Mealey Player of the match: Ashton Agar (WA)
* South Australia won the toss and elected to bat
* Bonus Points: South Australia 1.21, Western Australia 1.79

### Round 8

* 24–27 February Scorecard
* South Australia won by 5 wickets Gliderol Stadium, Adelaide Umpires: Michael Graham-Smith and Mick Martell Player of the match: Callum Ferguson (SA)
* Tasmania won the toss and elected to bat
* Bonus Points: South Australia 1.36, Tasmania 2.14
* 25–28 February Scorecard
* Victoria won by an innings and 14 runs Traegar Park, Alice Springs Umpires: Sam Nojagski and Greg Davidson Player of the match: Michael Philipson (Qld)
* Queensland won the toss and elected to bat
* Bonus Points: Victoria 2.68, Queensland 1.57
* 25–28 February Scorecard
* Western Australia won by 7 wickets No 1 Sports Ground, Newcastle Umpires: Paul Wilson and Anthony Wilds Player of the match: Adam Voges (WA)
* New South Wales won the toss and elected to bat
* Rain reduced Day 1 to 75 overs.
* Bonus Points: New South Wales 1.42, Western Australia 2.27

### Round 9

* 5–8 March Scorecard
* New South Wales won by 10 wickets Bankstown Oval, Sydney Umpires: Ashley Barrow and Sam Nojagski Player of the match: Stephen O'Keefe (NSW)
* Tasmania won the toss and elected to bat
* Bonus Points: New South Wales 1.81, Tasmania 1.37
* 5–8 March Scorecard
* Western Australia won by 95 runs Allan Border Field, Brisbane Umpires: Paul Wilson and Geoff Joshua Player of the match: Shaun Marsh (WA)
* Queensland won the toss and elected to field.
* Bonus Points: Queensland 0.79, Western Australia 1.27
* 5–8 March Scorecard
* Victoria won by an innings and 1 run Gliderol Stadium, Adelaide Umpires: John Ward and Michael Graham-Smith Player of the match: Peter Siddle (Vic)
* Victoria won the toss and elected to bat.
* Bonus Points: Victoria 3.05, South Australia 0

### Round 10

* 13–16 March Scorecard
* Queensland won by 5 wickets Brisbane Cricket Ground, Woolloongabba, Brisbane Umpires: Sam Nojagski and Ashley Barrow Player of the match: Joe Burns (Qld)
* Queensland won the toss and elected to field.
* Bonus Points: Queensland 2.09, South Australia 0.80
* 13–16 March Scorecard
* Victoria won by 400 runs Traegar Park, Alice Springs Umpires: Geoff Joshua and Paul Wilson Player of the match: Jon Holland (Vic)
* Victoria won the toss and elected to bat.
* Bonus Points: Victoria 2.89, Tasmania 0.50
* 13–16 March Scorecard
* Match Drawn Western Australia Cricket Association Ground, Perth Umpires: John Ward and Mick Martell Player of the match: Cameron Bancroft (WA)
* New South Wales won the toss and elected to bat.
* Bad light and rain reduced Day 1 to 64 overs and ended Day 2 early.
* Cameron Bancroft and Michael Klinger's partnership of 324 is the highest 2nd-wicket partnership in WA's history.
* Bonus Points: Western Australia 0.36, New South Wales 1.44

## Final

* 21–25 March Scorecard
* Match Drawn Bellerive Oval, Hobart Umpires: Mick Martell and Simon Fry Player of the match: Marcus Harris (WA)
* Western Australia won the toss and elected to bat.
* Rain reduced Day 3 to 61 overs.
* Fawad Ahmed (Vic) took the best bowling figures in Sheffield Shield final history (8/89).

## Statistics
### Most runs

| Player | Team | Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | Ave | HS | 100 | 50 |
| Adam Voges | Western Australia | 11 | 20 | 7 | 1358 | 104.46 | 249 | 6 | 5 |
| Michael Klinger | Western Australia | 11 | 20 | 2 | 1046 | 58.11 | 190 | 4 | 3 |
| Cameron Bancroft | Western Australia | 11 | 19 | 0 | 896 | 47.15 | 211 | 3 | 3 |
| Callum Ferguson | South Australia | 10 | 19 | 3 | 836 | 52.25 | 140 | 4 | 3 |
| Ed Cowan | Tasmania | 9 | 17 | 0 | 815 | 47.94 | 158 | 4 | 2 |

### Most wickets

| Player | Team | Mat | Inns | Overs | Wkts | Ave | BBI | SR |
| Fawad Ahmed | Victoria | 11 | 20 | 359 | 48 | 24.85 | 8/89 | 44.80 |
| Andrew Fekete | Tasmania | 10 | 17 | 296.5 | 37 | 24.10 | 5/66 | 48.10 |
| Nathan Rimmington | Western Australia | 10 | 17 | 300.2 | 35 | 24.22 | 5/27 | 51.40 |
| Ashton Agar | Western Australia | 9 | 15 | 318.1 | 31 | 30.48 | 5/81 | 61.50 |
| James Hopes | Queensland | 9 | 15 | 302.4 | 30 | 21.96 | 5/60 | 60.50 |