South Australia’s 29-year wait ends in remarkable Sheffield Shield glory.

And a 'Dog Dad'—Dale Steyn—says, "fuck, hell yeah"

Dale Steyn had an affinity for red balls. He got them down quickly, often curving away from right-handers just when they thought they had it covered. As a coach, Steyn promotes the 'one-fielder' theory. Loosely interpreted, he says, "I ask the captain for one fielder, and he can have the rest." He adds, "It's kind of like when you were playing in the backyard with your mates, and you had that one fielder that was a tree—you knew that if you bowled to (the batter's) legs, he'd hit the ball towards the tree." Steyn's one-fielder was always first slip. And the catcher was generally pretty busy! Steyn also employed rapid 'reverse-in'; when the mood took him, he could be downright nasty with the short stuff. All in all, he was a real handful.

---

SpeakingCricket is made possible by your subscriptions. If you're still a free subscriber, please consider upgrading to a paid subscription. Your support truly makes a difference.

---

I was somewhat surprised to read his tweet March 30, championing the dramatic end to the 2024-25 Sheffield Shield final, which saw South Australia claim their first win in 29 years. Defeating Queensland by four wickets at Karen Rolton Oval. Steyn wrote:

"South Australia win the Sheffield Shield, and the crowd STORM the ground. Fuck that makes me happy! Domestic cricket, crowds storming the field! Red ball cricket is alive!"

With over three million followers on Twitter/X, this is a worthy endorsement from the former South African great. And what is Steyn doing now: well, he could be described as a white ball coach. "Steyn acted as a bowling coach for various teams, including Sunrisers Hyderabad (IPL), Washington Freedom (Major League Cricket), and Sunrisers Eastern Cape (SA20)." You go where the work is!

I am happy that Steyn promotes 'the storming of the field'. If the untrustworthy AFL had not blocked Cricket Australia's bid to play the Shield Final at the Adelaide Oval, the ease of passage afforded to home-town fans might not have been as easy as it was.

The Sheffield Shield final remains a significant event for Australia's national sport. Still, ultimately, the AFL, in their sycophantic wisdom, aired concerns over their player's safety as their primary concern. The AFL had rights to the ground from March 15.

That said, Karen Rolton Oval turned out to be the perfect host. Somewhat prickly toward the Queenslanders early, this calmed through the middle of the contest, allowing them back into the game and likely placing them as favourites going into the final innings. The game's back and forth was of rollercoaster proportions. As a prominent Melbourne media personality says, "Momentum is the god of modern sport."

Jake Lehmann's (102) first innings century was his third in as many Shield matches. If Lehmann became a Smith and shaved his favoured goatee, almost any observer would recognise the batter in disguise by his method, which has an unmistakable likeness to his father, Darren. Like Dad, Lehmann is a difficult batter to pin down; he deflects deftly, moves either side of the ball, and counterattacks with intent. His career numbers fail to do his talent justice.

South Australian pacer Brendan Doggett had the game of his life, being named player of the match for his 11-wicket haul and finishing with the best match figures in Shield final history. A Queenslander for much of his life, Doggett transferred to the SACA in 2021. A tall, rangy, Glenn McGrath like, Doggett's best cricket might be ahead of him—Australian selectors don't mind height in their bowlers—watch that space.

Fourth innings centuries from Alex Carey and Jason Sangha helped steady the understandable nerves in the South Australian camp. The left-hand/right-hand combo produced a nerveless rearguard 202-run stand to help the hosts mow down the highest fourth-innings chase in Shield final history. Sangha finished unbeaten on 126, while Carey was dismissed for 105 with 40 runs still required. Carey, the local boy, and Sangha, the blue-bagger turned SACA. When Sangha hit the winning runs, it sparked wild celebrations reminiscent of 1996 as most of the 4000-strong crowd, the biggest at a Shield game in decades, stormed the field to celebrate.

The title also means South Australia, under first-year captain Nathan McSweeney and coach Ryan Harris, claimed the Shield and One-Day Cup double for the first time in the state's history.

The youngest and likely the fastest bowler in the game was 19-year-old Callum Vidler. I watched Vidler first-hand during the Men's U19 Championships in December. He is an unassuming talent with absolute pace to burn. Vidler's timing could be impeccable, with Australia's pace trio fast approaching their end. Dale Steyn would undoubtedly like Vidler's look.

Lastly, I want to congratulate Jordy Buckingham on his medal. He had a pretty quiet game, but his journey to this point is one of inspiration for any young cricketer trying to make their way in this crowded game. From Melbourne's northern suburbs, Buckingham originally played with the Greenvale Kangaroos before an old mate, Steve Chapman, recruited him to Footscray CC. Jordy also played in the VIC U19 program. Many questioned his decision to transfer to Adelaide; he was merely seeking more opportunities to play. He went, and look where he is now. Both Greenvale and Footscray should be proud of the part they played. And, of course, hats off to the SACA for seeing his potential.

The celebrations for South Australia's first Sheffield Shield title in 29 years continued into Monday as locals packed the Rundle Mall in Adelaide's city centre for a reception with the team as both coach Ryan Harris and captain Nathan McSweeney admitted the magnitude of their achievements was still sinking in.

Captain McSweeney said, "So many players in our squad have been given an opportunity by the SACA, and to be able to, I guess, give back and win the Sheffield Shield and see how much it mattered to all of them is very pleasing and it's why you play the game, for sure,"

Cricket is now a transient game. Loyalty exists, but free agency reigns in a rapidly changing landscape.