2016–17 Sheffield Shield season 2016–17 Sheffield Shield season The 2016–17 Sheffield Shield season was the 115th season of the Sheffield Shield, the domestic first-class cricket competition in Australia. It started on 25 October 2016 and finished on 30 March 2017. There was a break between December and January for the Big Bash League. The first round of matches were played as day/night games in preparation for Australia's day/night Test match against Pakistan on 15 December 2016. A second day/night round of fixtures took place in round five of the tournament. Victoria qualified for the final after their 8 wicket win against Western Australia in
Sport in Victoria has more players in the state than any other sport. Former premier, John Brumby has called for a second Melbourne team to be added to the league. Cricket is also popular in Victoria. The governing body for the sport is Cricket Victoria which administers the 1,182 cricket clubs and 112,000 registered cricketers in Victoria, and 62,774 children involved in school-based competition. The Victorian Bushrangers are the men's state team which competes in the KFC T20 Big Bash, the Sheffield Shield and the Ford Ranger Cup. Following an extended period of low attendances at Bushrangers home games, the 2009/10 season saw