Victoria has confirmed its 12-player squad for its final Sheffield Shield match of the regular season against South Australia at the CitiPower Centre, beginning March 14.
Having already secured hosting rights for the Final, the ladder-leading Victorians will be aiming to maintain momentum heading into the decider in what shapes as a potential Final-preview between the competition's top two sides.
The match will also see Victoria and South Australia compete for the David Hookes Trophy, awarded to the team that wins the aggregate of Sheffield Shield matches played between the two states across the season.
Victoria welcomes the return of Scott Boland, while exciting young batter Oliver Peake has also been included in the squad. They replace Blake Macdonald and Matt Short, who is unavailable due to IPL commitments.
Peter Handscomb and Sam Harper will again headline Victoria's batting line-up after enjoying outstanding seasons. The pair currently sit as the leading run-scorers in this year's Sheffield Shield competition, highlighting their consistency across a dominant campaign.
Handscomb has also enjoyed a remarkable season in the field, taking 25 catches and surpassing former South Australia and Victorian player Jamie Siddons on the all-time Sheffield Shield catches list (190).
Victoria's pace attack continues to be led by the impressive duo of Sam Elliott and Mitch Perry, who have each claimed 31 wickets this season, placing them equal fourth on the competition's leading wicket-takers list.
Young left-hander Dylan Brasher has retained his place in the squad following a standout Premier Cricket campaign with Footscray, where he broke the club record for the most runs scored in a season.
The match also presents another significant milestone opportunity for Chris Rogers' side, who are aiming to become just the second team in Sheffield Shield history to record eight outright victories in a single season.
Victorian Men's Head Coach Chris Rogers said the group remains focused on finishing the regular season strongly.
"We've put ourselves in a strong position this season and hosting the final is a reward for the consistency the group has shown," Rogers said.
"South Australia have had an excellent campaign as well, so this is another great opportunity for us to test ourselves against one of the competition's best sides before the final."
Victoria will face South Australia at CitiPower Centre from March 14, with play beginning at 10:30am AEDT.
Victoria Sheffield Shield Squad
Will Sutherland (Prahran CC) (c)
Scott Boland (Frankston Peninsula CC)
Dylan Brasher (Footscray CC)
Sam Elliott (Fitzroy Doncaster CC)
Peter Handscomb (St Kilda CC)
Sam Harper (Melbourne CC)
Marcus Harris (St Kilda CC)
Campbell Kellaway (Melbourne CC)
Todd Murphy (St Kilda CC)
Fergus O'Neill (Melbourne CC)
Oliver Peake (Geelong CC)
Mitch Perry (Richmond CC)
