Last Updated on 49 seconds ago by Charbel Coorey
One of the more important Sheffield Shield seasons in recent memory is set to get underway on October 7. Talks of batting averages and the pitches made headlines in the offseason after none of the top 11 run-scorers averaged above 40 in season 2025/26.
The Australian men’s Test team is facing a difficult transition period unless players put their hand up at domestic level. Of the XI that played the last Test against Bangladesh, only Cameron Green is aged under 30, meaning Australia could have numerous spots to fill within the next two years.
The likes of Sam Konstas and Nathan McSweeney have had a taste of Test cricket, and a huge season awaits those two as they look to stake their claims for a return. Others including Kurtis Patterson and Jake Weatherald will be looking to do the same. The uncapped Campbell Kellaway and Oliver Peake are spoken of regularly, most notably by Ricky Ponting.
On the bowling front, those who have played Test cricket outside of the “big four” of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon are above 30. This includes Scott Boland (37), Michael Neser (36) and Brendan Doggett (32), leaving Australia needing younger fast bowlers to make a name for themselves this season.
2026/27 Sheffield Shield: Lesser-known players who can put themselves in the Australian Test fold
Who are some players who could elevate themselves towards Test contention? Here is a look at five who we could be talking about more during and after the upcoming Australian summer.
1. Jack Clayton (Queensland)
27-year-old Jack Clayton is considered one of the more technically-gifted players in Australia. He hit an excellent century in the 2025 Sheffield Shield Final, and while he had an injury-interrupted 2025/26 campaign, he still managed 418 runs at 38 with two fifties and a century.
While those numbers aren’t world-beating, they’re respectable in the context of the competition.
After 40 First Class matches, Clayton has 2,283 runs at an average of 36.82 with 12 fifties and six hundreds. He also looked good for his 48 for Cricket Australia XI against Bangladesh in Darwin back in August.
However, the next priority for the left-hander is getting his average above 40 and potentially improving his scoring rate; the kind of feedback Nathan McSweeney has received. Clayton strikes at 43.42 in his 40 matches, so a fluent start to the season could put him further on the national selectors’ radar with spots there for the taking in Australia’s middle order.
“I’m really excited about the summer that Jack Clayton could have for us,” said Queensland coach James Hopes, as quoted by CODE Sports. “He’s primed to put himself in the conversation for one of these batting spots that might come up for Australia in the next one, two years.”
2. Teague Wyllie (Tasmania)
After a promising start to his First Class career in 2022, where he became one of the youngest players to score a Sheffield Shield century, Teague Wyllie’s career hit a roadblock.
He fell down the pecking order at Western Australia, playing just a handful of matches in recent seasons. WA then retracted their contract offer, forcing Wyllie’s hand to move states. He will line up for Tasmania this season.
“As soon as I found out that I was being let go by WA, I messaged Jake Doran, which helped put me in contact with the right people to get the ball rolling, and from there it was a pretty smooth process to be able to join the Tigers,” he said earlier this year.
“I feel like coming to Tasmania is a place where I’ll be able to grow as a person and a player and hopefully flourish.”
In August, Wyllie set down a marker. He struck an excellent century for Cricket Australia XI against Bangladesh, who then beat Australia in a Test match the week after. A strong Shield campaign can put him firmly on the radar of national selectors.
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3. Tim Ward (Tasmania)
28-year-old Tim Ward is in a similar boat to Jack Clayton. He averages 33.67 after 48 First Class matches (2,862 runs), and an opportunity awaits to stake a claim this season.
Ward has 24 fifty-plus scores in 89 innings at First Class level, but has converted to a century just three times. However, he has the highest average (38.90) of all number threes in the Sheffield Shield over the last five years, with nine fifties and two hundreds in 31 innings.
With pressure on Marnus Labuschagne, the Test number three spot could be up for grabs in the coming months. Can Ward lay down a marker? Time will tell.
4. Thomas Balkin (Queensland)
22-year-old Thomas Balkin made his Sheffield Shield debut in March. He managed just eight overs before he was subbed out with a hamstring injury.
Balkin can hit speeds of over 140km/h. And as he showed in last year’s Big Bash League for the Brisbane Heat, he also has excellent variations.
With other Queensland bowlers either injured or on national duty, there could be an opportunity for Balkin to play early in the season. While it is too soon to talk Test aspirations, a consistent run of games and performances will put this talented youngster in the frame for future honours.
5. Campbell Thompson (South Australia)
Campbell Thompson has also played just the one First Class match to date, taking match figures of 3/44 off 21 overs for South Australia against Queensland in February 2026.
However, he put his name in lights after taking a remarkable 8/25 for CA XI against Bangladesh in August. The left-arm pace bowler tormented the Bangladesh lineup with his ability to swing and seam the ball on a full length.
“To clean it up this morning, I had a clear process – just try to use the new ball, swing it and hit the stumps – and I was lucky enough to get a few wickets,” he said after his eight-wicket haul, as quoted by cricket.com.au.
“The length we had to bowl in the second innings was probably a bit shorter than in the first innings – so just dragging it back a bit, hitting the top of the stumps, and (keeping those) clear processes was the main goal.
“I feel like I’m a new-ball bowler, so I’m just trying to swing the ball and hit the stumps, and I got lucky this time.”
