Jason Sangha and Alex Carey lead South Australia to victory in Sheffield Shield final

The Queensland Bulls picked up three early wickets on Saturday in their attempt to prevent South Australia making the 270 runs needed to win the Sheffield Shield final before Jason Sangha and Alex Carey took command with the bat.

Inspired by second-innings centuries from Jason Sangha and Alex Carey, South Australia has won the Sheffield Shield title for the first time in 29 years with a four-wicket victory over Queensland in the final at Karen Rolton Oval.

Needing 270 to win the decider at the start of day four on Saturday, SA slumped to 3-28 to give the Bulls real hope of completing a remarkable comeback victory after being dismissed for just 95 in their first innings.

However, that was to be end of Queensland’s joy, with Sangha (126 not out) and Carey (105) sharing in a superb fourth-wicket partnership of 202 that blunted the Bulls.

Carey’s blazing innings came to an end in the 62nd over when he edged a swinging full toss from Mark Steketee on to his stumps to leave South Australia at 4-230.

Jason Sangha plays a shot during his superb century for South Australia. Picture: Sarah Reed/Getty Images

Despite the subsequent loss of two more wickets – Jake Lehmann (8) and Liam Scott (0) – SA secured victory in the 70th over.

Fittingly, it was Sangha who scored the winning run through mid-wicket, leading to delighted storming on to the oval to celebrate SA’s first Shield crown since 1996.

“This is not just a once off thing, this is something that we’re going to work on over the next few years to make it’s not 29 years until we win the next one,” SA coach Ryan Harris said.

“We’re going to try to do that in the next few years.”

The win also completed a domestic 2024-25 double for SA, who also lifted the season’s One-Day Cup.

In what proved to be a costly miss for the Bulls, Sangha was given a life when he was on just 13 when Ben McDermott failed to grasp a tough catch at second slip off the bowling of Mark Steketee.

McDermott had earlier taken a good catch to – also off the bowling of Steketee – to complete the dismissal of Henry Hunt and leave SA at 2-13.

Conor McInerney was the first wicket to fall, edging paceman Michael Neser to Angus Lovell at third slip in the third over of the innings.

Bulls paceman Michael Neser appeals for an LBW verdict in the Sheffield Shield final. Picture: Sarah Reed/Getty Images

Steketee struck again in the 16th over, when wicket-keeper Jimmy Peirson took a fine catch to send SA skipper Nathan McSweeney back to the pavilion.

Sangha and Test wicket-keeper Carey then steadied their team’s innings, taking the total to 73 by lunch.

They then upped the ante between lunch and tea, adding 109 more runs to SA’s total to put their side in command, with the hosts completing the job in the final session.

Queensland skipper Marnus Labuschagne was proud of the Bulls’ effort to fight their way back into the contest.

“We showed the Queensland spirit, the never die attitude and to always fight to the end,” Labuschagne said.

“We certainly haven’t been at our best this year but we managed to find our way into the final and play cricket that challenged the best team in the competition.”

The Bulls, inspired by centuries on Friday from Jack Wildermuth (111) and Jack Clayton (100), made 445 in their second innings in a complete contra to their poor first-innings display.

SA reached 271 in its first innings, with Lehmann making 102.

Among the heroes for the winners was former Queensland paceman Brendan Doggett, who had match figures of 11-140 to claim player-of-the-match honours.

Originally published as Jason Sangha and Alex Carey lead South Australia to victory in Sheffield Shield final