Four Sheffield Shield matches before Ashes in Australian domestic cricket season

As Australia’s top order continued to struggle in the West Indies, the domestic calendar confirmed opportunities for Test hopefuls to make their Ashes case.

The Australian summer of cricket will start in mid-spring with a September 16 launch for the domestic one-day cup leading to the Sheffield Shield final 191 days later.

But crucially, Cricket Australia has confirmed there will be four rounds of Sheffield Shield matches before the first Ashes Test in November, giving ample opportunity for hopefuls to press their case amid top-order struggles in the West Indies.

Not only will there be four Shield games before the opening Test in Perth, there will be a round of day-night matches, including one at the Gabba, which will host the pink-ball Ashes showdown.

That Shield exposure could prove crucial practice for the Australian batters who were all out for just 225 under lights in the first innings of the final Test against the West Indies in Jamaica and slumped to 3-28 in the second innings after teenager Sam Konstas made a duck.

The full package of Australian domestic games was confirmed on Monday with the highlights including:

• Four rounds of Sheffield Shield matches before the NRMA Insurance Men’s Ashes series

• A day-night round of Shield, including a match at the Gabba immediately prior to the D/N Gabba Test

• South Australia to begin their Shield defence at Adelaide Oval on October 4 against Victoria

South Australia will launch its Sheffield Shield defence in October. Picture: Sarah Reed/Getty Images

The domestic summer will begin with a suite of one-day games, six all-up before the first round of the Sheffield Shield kicks off in the first week of October.

“Leading into perhaps Australia’s biggest ever summer of cricket, we are delighted to announce the schedule for our domestic competitions, where the depth and evenness of our teams remains very high,” CA head of cricket operations and scheduling Peter Roach said.

“With so much domestic cricket being played before our home marquee men’s and women’s international fixtures, the opportunities for players to perform and put their name forward has never been greater. We are also sure to see many Australian team regulars turning out for their state teams as part of their preparation.

“We are confident that scheduling games at a mixture of major stadiums and smaller venues will provide the best possible experiences for players and fans.”