Follow UsIt was mayhem, pure scenes and drama at the Karen Rolton Oval as South Australia beat Queensland by four wickets to lift their first Sheffield Shield title in 29 years. This led to an expected joy but unexpected wildness in the crowd present at the stadium.
They stormed the pitch and, in what seemed like a hostage situation (if there was no context given), held the hero of the game, Jason Sangha, on the pitch for nearly 5–10 minutes after the victory, hugging him and taking selfies to etch the historic moment in their memories forever.
It was one of the rare instances of crowds storming the pitch witnessed in the recent history of the game, even in domestic cricket.
The match, which was dominated by South Australia, who were also the table toppers at the end of the league stage, turned thrilling after Queensland, who were bowled out for 91 in the first innings, posted 445 in their second innings and set up a stiff target of 269 for the hosts to chase in the fourth innings.
In the end, it took a 202-run partnership between Sangha (126*) and Australia international Alex Carey (105) that sealed the deal for the home team, after they were found struggling at 28/3, losing their captain Nathan McSweeney early on.
Though Carey got out, Sangha made sure to see his side home alongside Ben Manenti.
This was the 14th Shield win for South Australia, who last won the title way back in 1995-96.