Alex Carey Voted as Captain of 2024-25 ACA Shield All-Star Team of the Year

As South Australia and Queensland begin the Shield final today, the ACA is excited to announce the player-voted ACA All-Star Team of the Year for the 2024-25 Shield season.

In what was an incredible tightly contested season, heading into the last round South Australia had locked in a home final but Queensland, Victoria, Western Australia and New South Wales remained contenders to book a spot at Karen Rolton Oval.

It was Queensland who prevailed, with their draw against SA being enough to keep them ahead of the pack, setting up a repeat fixture to decide who will take the Shield home.

If SA are able to win the Final, having won the One-Day Cup only a few weeks ago, it would complete a historic domestic double, which would be the first in South Australia’s history and the 12th time it’s occurred in Australian Cricket.

After finishing the regular season on top of the table, South Australia also led the way with three inclusions in the ACA All-Star Team of the Year, headlined by Alex Carey who was voted captain.

The ACA All-Star Team of the Year for the 2024-25 Shield season is:

Captain Alex Carey said it was a great honour to be voted in to the ACA All-Star team by his teammates and opponents.

“It's always a great honour to be selected by your peers.

“Amongst a strong Sheffield Shield season, there's been lots of standout players, so to have this recognition is a real honour.

“Any chance to play domestic cricket for South Australia is a special one, and I really want to make the most of those opportunities and perform well for my state.”

"Congratulations to all the other players selected in the team.”

In the team there are some familiar faces, including the likes of NSW pair Jackson Bird (129) and Kurtis Patterson (106) who have played a combined 235 First Class matches, while on the other end of the scale young Victorian pair Campbell Kellaway and Fergus O’Neill have appeared in just 30 and 29 First Class matches respectively.

Other experienced players include Tasmania’s Jake Weatherald, who led the competition for runs, while Hilton Cartwright also showed no signs of slowing down for Western Australia.

Jason Sangha relished his move to South Australia, finishing the season with a batting average of 71.62, and his SA counterpart Nathan McAndrew again took plenty of wickets, asserting himself as one of the most consistent bowlers in the country.

The Shield Final begins today, and will take place March 26-30 at Karen Rolton Oval, with South Australia attempting to complete the domestic double, and Queensland going for their 10th Shield title.