Sheffield Shield 2025-26 – Peter Handscomb finds a way in another season favouring bowlers

Only two players have scored more first-class runs globally over the same period: Ben Compton and Shan Masood. So there’s no one better qualified to talk about the challenges of hitting the Shield right now.

With one round remaining, there is a distinct possibility that no batsman will surpass 800 regular-season runs for the first time in a completed home and away Shield summer since 2017-18, discounting two COVID-reduced seasons in 2019-20 and 2021-22.

“It feels like a few years ago the wicket stopped breaking and it stopped backing up,” Hansdcomb said. “So we had to try to find a way to move the game forward at some stage so that kind of happened at the start of the game and then the resulting wicket, [states] Those who produced flat wickets earned a draw. So if you’ve got half your games in a draw and everyone else is getting results, you’re a little bit behind.

“I feel like everyone has made the resultant wicket now. It’s a bit of a shame because the batting is getting really tough. And I think the reverse swing is also a little bit out of the game because the ball isn’t getting any rougher anymore. The square is really, really green and really soft. I don’t know if we’re losing a little bit of that Australian reverse swing and that blistering speed, but the way the game is going, it’s happening.”

If you feel comfortable playing and missing, and understand that you will miss a lot of balls and might get hit a few times, but are still there, you are doing your job.

Peter Handscombe’s batting mindset

Victoria are trying to become only the second team in Shield history to win eight games in a season in Saturday’s game against South Australia, which could be a preview of the final if Queensland cannot beat Tasmania.

Handscomb claims there have been more three-day finishes (nine) than draws (seven) over the nine rounds so far this season, including two three-day matches in the most recent round, with some draws affected by rain.

There is a suggestion that the current version of the Kookaburra ball, which has two coats of lacquer and more pronounced seams, has done the job as well as the 2017-18 Dukes ball. However, Handscomb echoed the sentiments of others who believed pitching was more of a problem because the ball had little wear.

“I think it’s closer to the surface than the ball,” he said. “You always feel like there’s something going on because you don’t rough up the ball that much. Then you have that traditional swing and the seams are tight. So you always feel like you’re doing something.”

So how to survive as a batter? Handscomb has had a double century, a double century and three ducks over a rollercoaster season, highlighting the lottery of his current Shield batting.

“In my game, I try to keep it as simple as possible and not take a lot of shots,” Handscomb said. “I try to keep the ball in certain areas enough to score a few runs, and everything else is just defending like crazy and hoping it doesn’t get the edge on you.

“Be comfortable when you make plays and when you miss, and understand that you’re going to miss a lot of balls, you might get hit a few times, but if you’re still out there, you’re doing your job.”

Handscomb still hopes to add 20 Test matches. There has been a vacancy at number five in the Australian Test side following Usman Khawaja’s retirement, but given his experience in such conditions, it seems more likely that he will be considered for the fifth Test tour of India early next year. However, his form in Shield cricket is unlikely to have much bearing on that tour, as he mentioned, considering how little spin is bowled in the competition due to the pitch.

“I’ve seen what the amazing spinners that play in Australia can do in Test matches and how they can start a game just by not only having fast bowlers all along, but also getting up to speed,” Handscomb said. “So there is a nuance to being able to use spinners in long-format games, and it’s a shame these green wickets are taking them away a little bit.”

Handscomb was asked whether the Shield’s bonus points structure could be looked at later in the game to bring spinners back into the equation. The current competition features batting and bowling bonus points. 0.01 bonus point for every run exceeding 200 scored in the first 100 overs of the first innings (350 points after 100 overs, 1.5 bonus points) and 0.1 bonus point for every wicket taken by the team during the first 100 overs of the opponent’s first innings (1 point for 10 wickets before 100 runs in the first innings).

“We could potentially change the points system,” Handscomb said. “I’m not smart enough to say how that should change. But it would be nice if there was some way to encourage longer games. Bring in spinners or whatever. I don’t know what to do. But it seems like the game is over on the second or third day and it’s a shame to see the spinners not working properly and the batsmen fighting for their lives every time they bat.”