What is the name of the Australian domestic first-class cricket competition?

The Sheffield Shield is Australia’s domestic first-class cricket competition. It is contested by teams representing Australia’s six states.

The competition began in the 1892–93 season after Lord Sheffield donated money for a trophy during an English cricket tour of Australia. New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria were the original participants, with Queensland joining in 1926–27, Western Australia in 1947–48 and Tasmania in 1977–78. The trophy itself is a silver shield designed by Phillip Blashki.

Matches are traditionally four-day first-class games, played in a double round-robin season. The leading teams then meet in a final, which has been part of the competition since 1982–83. Although sponsorship temporarily produced names such as the Pura Cup and Marsh Sheffield Shield, the historic name remains Sheffield Shield.

The main mix-up is with the One-Day Cup, Australia’s domestic limited-overs competition. The Plunket Shield belongs to New Zealand, the Ranji Trophy to India, and the County Championship to England.