Shield Informed Round 5 Review & Round 6 Preview, 2019/20

A relentless bowling performance has seen Western Australia defeat champions Queensland on their own deck and shoot to the top of the Shield standings, while Jhye Richardson has put himself firmly in the frame for the Brisbane Test.

Meanwhile in Dubai Australia has won the T20 World Cup for the first time, slaying New Zealand in the final off the back of maligned figures Mitch Marsh, Dave Warner and Justin Langer, against all expectations.

Meanwhile the squad for the pre-Ashes matches has been set, with Marcus Harris all but confirmed as Warner's opening partner to begin the summer. 

Victoria sealed a second win over New South Wales in as many weeks on Monday, shooting to the pointy end of the table which may have also rocketed Scott Boland into Test calculations.

With Australia scheduled to tour Pakistan for the first time since 1998, Cricket Unfiltered's Andrew Menczel joins the programme to ponder whether it will actually go ahead, reflect on the life of Keith Bradshaw, and assess what has been learned from Australia's World Cup campaign.

Finally, Dona Sirimanne picks her highlights of the WBBL at the half-way point. 

Ever wondered what four day cricket looks like across the ditch? The Cricketeers Podcast's Adam Bell joins Shield Informed for a look at the new season of New Zealand's First Class competition, the Plunket Shield, which commenced earlier this month. 

Adam takes us through the main contenders, cult heroes and the best of generation next, while also casting an eye ahead to the Black Cap's huge two-Test assignment in India later this month. 

Jump on board Adam's podcast here!
https://podtail.com/en/podcast/the-cricketeers/

Willem is joined in the co-hosts chair by former Victoria and Australia leg-spinner Bryce McGain to reflect on the passing of four great contributors to Australian cricket, and discuss the big issues to come out of the previous round of Shield action.

The form of Marcus Harris, promise of Tanveer Sangha and incremental improvement of Tasmania all come under the microscope, as does Australia’s form at the T20 World Cup after a humbling at the hands of England. 

We're back to review last week's two Shield clashes, which saw Queensland and South Australia contest a hard-fought draw and Tasmania hold their nerve on the final day to chase down Western Australia's target of 217.

We also preview New South Wales and Victoria's season opener to commence from Wednesday, and reminisce about the best of James Pattinson's Test career. 

The Shield season continued to splutter into life with a stalemate between Tasmania and Queensland, which saw Tassie decline Usman Khawaja's offer to manufacture a result and bat out the final day. The crew review Tim Ward's arrival as a Shield player, Bryce Street's continued development, and some novelty bowling at the death.

Australia & India's multi-format women's series also has also come to a close, with Australia taking the mantle 11 points to 5. Willem and Dona review a series that promised plenty, delivered a fair bit, but fell short of delivering an all-time classic finish.

Finally with England releasing their 17-man squad for the Ashes tour this week, The Pinch Hitter's Tom Penn returns to the program to assess the old enemy's chances of causing a boil-over sans Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer. 

Runs, runs, runs... the Shield returned with the Redbacks hosting WA at Karen Rolton Oval and both sides batted each other into the ground, with just three innings completed before the captains shook hands at Tea on Day 4.

In McKay Australia and India's Women's sides played out a cracking one-day series, with Australia narrowly escaping with their world record winning streak intact in the second, only to come unstuck in the third.

Bonus: A preview of a match that didn't go ahead! Tasmania were due to play Queensland from Tuesday, but took their bats and balls and went home when someone sneezed. Enjoy our preview anyway!

The Shield Informed team has grown! Welcome Dona Sirimanne, who will be providing insight and energy to the show across the summer!

We're back! Only four states have the green light at this stage, but the Sheffield Shield will return on Friday with South Australia hosting Western Australia, and Queensland hosting Tasmania from early next week.

Willem and Brodie return to break down every squad, look at the few players who have switched states over winter, and forecast a few of the big narratives that could define the Australian summer. 

*Apologies for the fluctuating audio quality in this episode

It's over! Queensland have snapped the New South Wales hoodoo and beaten their southern rivals in a Shield final for the first time, meaning they've now triumphed over every state in a decider.

The boys review Marnus' masterclass and the Bulls unrelenting bowling, and reveal who made their teams of the season. It's also time to farewell and pay tribute to Alex Doolan and Tom Cooper. 

Thanks for tuning in to Shield Informed across the summer! We hope it's inspired you to engage with this mighty competition a little more than you otherwise might. Viva la Shield!

The final stanza of the never-ending season will begin on Thursday, when Queensland host New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield final from Allan Border Field.

It will be the seventh meeting between the sides in the final; in this episode not only is the upcoming instalment previewed, but the fascinating clashes of 1984/85 and 2004/05 are recalled.

If you're still tuning in to the show each week, please know, we love you. Enjoy the last of the cricket this summer!