| 2020–21 Sheffield Shield | |
| Fromdate: | 10 October 2020 |
| Todate: | 19 April 2021 |
| Administrator: | Cricket Australia |
| Cricket Format: | First-class |
| Tournament Format: | Double round-robin and final |
| Champions: | Queensland |
| Count: | 9 |
| Participants: | 6 |
| Matches: | 25 |
| Player Of The Series: | Nathan Lyon (NSW) |
| Most Runs: | Cameron Green (922) |
| Most Wickets: | Nathan Lyon (42) |
| Previous Year: | 2019–20 |
| Previous Tournament: | 2019–20 Sheffield Shield season |
| Next Year: | 2021–22 |
| Next Tournament: | 2021–22 Sheffield Shield season |
The 2020–21 Sheffield Shield season was the 119th season of the Sheffield Shield, the Australian domestic first-class cricket competition.[1] On 26 June 2020, Cricket Australia confirmed all the squads for the 2020–21 domestic cricket season.[2] [3] Cricket Australia also confirmed that the tournament would use the Kookaburra ball for all the matches,[4] after using the Duke ball since the 2016–17 season.[5] New South Wales were the defending champions.[6] [7]
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the first four rounds of the season are being played at four venues in Adelaide.[8] With further restrictions due to the pandemic in Australia, the first round match between New South Wales and Victoria was scheduled to take place from 17 November 2020,[9] because of extra measures for people travelling into South Australia from Victoria.[10] However, on 12 October 2020, Victoria's first two matches were postponed due to the extra quarantine restrictions.[11]
Round three of the tournament saw a new record partnership set in a Sheffield Shield match. Marcus Harris and Will Pucovski of Victoria scored 486 runs for the first wicket, in the match against South Australia.[12] The previous record was held by Mark and Steve Waugh, making 464 for New South Wales against Western Australia in the 1990–91 tournament.[13]
On 16 December 2020, Cricket Australia confirmed the remaining schedule of the tournament,[14] when the tournament was shortened by one round.[15] On 10 February 2021, the tournament was shortened further by one round,[16] with the final starting on 15 April 2021.[17] Queensland won the tournament, beating New South Wales by an innings and 33 runs in the final.[18]
| Team[19] | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 11.17 | 33.17 | ||
| 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 10.51 | 31.51 | ||
| 8 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 11.37 | 28.37 | ||
| 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 13.11 | 28.11 | ||
| 8 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 9.76 | 21.76 | ||
| 8 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 7.82 | 12.82 |
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| Player [20] | Team | Runs | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cameron Green | 8 | 14 | 2 | 922 | 76.83 | 251 | 3 | 2 | |
| Travis Head | 7 | 14 | 1 | 893 | 68.69 | 223 | 3 | 3 | |
| Marnus Labuschagne | 8 | 10 | 0 | 821 | 82.1 | 192 | 4 | 2 | |
| Shaun Marsh | 8 | 14 | 1 | 734 | 54.46 | 135 | 3 | 3 | |
| Marcus Harris | 8 | 13 | 2 | 695 | 63.18 | 239 | 2 | 1 | |
| Player[21] | Team | Overs | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nathan Lyon | 9 | 15 | 412.3 | 42 | 25.97 | 2.64 | 6/21 | 10/78 | 3 | 1 | ||
| Jackson Bird | 8 | 15 | 298.4 | 35 | 22.17 | 2.59 | 7/18 | 8/73 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Mitchell Swepson | 5 | 10 | 288.4 | 32 | 23.14 | 2.59 | 5/55 | 10/173 | 3 | 1 | ||
| Scott Boland | 8 | 12 | 265.1 | 30 | 24 | 2.71 | 6/61 | 8/113 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Jon Holland | 8 | 12 | 296.2 | 27 | 28.85 | 2.62 | 5/82 | 9/172 | 1 | 0 |