South Australia to host opening four rounds of Sheffield Shield

Melbourne [Australia], September 24 (ANI): Cricket Australia (CA) on Thursday announced that South Australia will be hosting the opening four rounds of the Marsh Sheffield Shield in October and November.
The decision to play the first four rounds of the Marsh Sheffield Shield in South Australia allows for the best possible chance to play a full domestic schedule, said Cricket Australia in an official statement.
CA is working in partnership with the South Australian Government to ensure the competition proceeds in line with government regulations and COVID safety guidelines, with the safety of the South Australian community and all participants the highest priority.
Round one matches will begin on Saturday, October 10 with South Australia taking on Western Australia and Queensland facing Tasmania. Acknowledging the mandatory 14-day quarantine period for all Victorian arrivals into South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales have agreed to postpone their round one game to begin on Tuesday, November 17.
Three further rounds will be played in the October-November window before the KFC BBL|10 season begins in December.
"The Marsh Sheffield Shield is an incredibly strong competition and for generations has been a crucial factor in the success of the Australian men's team," Hockley said. "It is the envy of cricketing countries throughout the world. We would like to thank the South Australian government for their willingness to work together to deliver these fixtures," Nick Hockley, Cricket Australia's Interim Chief Executive Officer said.
"Many people have worked incredibly hard to arrive at this outcome, whilst recognising that player and staff safety and wellbeing remains the priority and having government restrictions in place to keep the community safe from COVID-19. CA will also be staging full rebel WBBL and KFC BBL competitions this summer, so there will be no shortage of action and opportunity for our women's and men's players," he added.
CA is also planning to stage the remainder of the Marsh Sheffield Shield season, the Women's National Cricket League, Marsh One-Day Cup, and Under-19 Female and Male National Championships in 2021. Announcements regarding the fixturing of these matches will be made in due course. (ANI)