Victoria vs South Australia, SSD, Today Match Prediction

VAC vs SAC Match Prediction & Analysis

The much awaited final match of the Sheffield Shield 2025-26 will be played between Victoria and reigning champions South Australia. The match will be played from 26 March at the Junction Oval, Melbourne.

Victoria were a hugely dominant side in the league phase of the competition, topping the points table. They won 7 matches out of 9 games and suffered defeat on 2 occasions. South Australia meanwhile finished 2nd in the points table with 4 wins, 2 losses and had 2 matches end in a draw.

RECENT PERFORMANCE

VAC

L L W L L

WAC

233/2 in 39.5 5.85

MOC

Western Australia Won by 8 wickets 21 Feb 2026

VAC

230/9 in 50.0 4.6

VAC

144/10 in 57.2 2.51

SSD

Queensland beat Victoria by 36 runs 05 Feb 2026

QSL

205/10 in 85.1 2.41

VAC

216/3 in 44.3 4.85

MOC

Victoria Won by 7 wickets

03 Feb 2026

QSL

215/10 in 49.0 4.39

VAC

285/10 in 49.1 5.8

MOC

Western Australia beat Victoria by 7 wickets 02 Dec 2025

WAC

289/3 in 44.4 6.47

QSL

430/10 in 129.1 3.33

SSD

Queensland beat Victoria by 7 wickets 22 Nov 2025

VAC

32/3 in 6.2 5.05

SAC

W L L W L

SAC

373/10 in 99.2 3.76

SSD

South Australia beat New South Wales by 9 wickets 05 Mar 2026

NSW

96/1 in 19.3 4.92

QSL

260/10 in 49.2 5.27

MOC

Queensland beat South Australia by 125 runs 21 Feb 2026

SAC

135/10 in 26.1 5.16

NSW

246/3 in 44.0 5.59

MOC

New South Wales beat South Australia by 7 wickets 10 Feb 2026

SAC

242/7 in 50.0 4.84

SAC

426/10 in 88.2 4.82

SSD

South Australia beat Tasmania by 10 wickets 05 Dec 2025

TSC

30/0 in 5.5 5.14

TSC

196/6 in 39.4 4.94

MOC

Tasmania beat South Australia by 4 wickets 15 Nov 2025

SAC

195/10 in 46.2 4.21

HEAD TO HEAD

TEAMS PREVIEW

Victoria Preview

Victoria had just missed out on the final last edition, finishing 3rd in the points table, but made a serious comeback to finish at the top of the table at the end of the current season with 7 wins and 2 losses. Against their opposition in the grand finale, they won one and the return leg was a draw.

At the top, they have a very formidable opening combination featuring youth prospect Campbell Kellaway and experienced batter Sam Harper. 

Harper has been the most outstanding of the two, scoring 645 runs in 19 innings including two centuries and a highest score of 141 runs. Kellaway on the other hand has scored 464 runs in 17 innings and a highest score of 147 runs.

In the middle-order, Peter Handscomb has been in brilliant form in the competition, standing out as the competition’s top run scorer with 688 runs in 19 innings. He has been playing a brilliant anchor’s role for the side. Marcus Harris and Will Sutherland have also made hefty contributions in the middle phase of the game, scoring 360 and 330 runs respectively.

Meanwhile, the likes of Oliver Peake, Fergus O'Neill, Mitchell Perry provide batting with O’Neill in fantastic form, scoring 396 runs in 15 innings.

They have also performed well with the ball, with 3 different bowlers touching the 30 wickets mark. Medium-pacer Samuel Elliot is the team's top wicket-taker this season with 33 wickets in 13 innings, including his best figures of 5/26 vs New South Wales.

Mitchell Perry and Fergus O'Neill have also taken 32 and 30 wickets respectively. Perry has been a serious threat with his pace while O’Neill’s main weapon has been his control over the line & length, making the batters work hard for every bit of run.

Australia international bowler Scott Boland is an impact bowler for his national team, and has been able to replicate the same form in this competition. He has played only 5 matches this season and has bagged 26 wickets. He is menacing with his control and decepting the batters.

Captain Will Sutherland has also contributed well with the ball, other than scoring 330 runs, he has also taken 18 wickets while Australia international spin bowler Todd Murphy has taken 17 wickets.

Victoria Predicted Playing XI:

Campbell Kellaway, Sam Harper (WK), Dylan Brasher, Peter Handscomb, Marcus Harris, Will Sutherland (C), Mitchell Perry, Fergus O’Neill, Samuel Elliot, Todd Murphy, Scott Boland.

Victoria Actual Playing XI:

Fergus O’Neill, Sam Harper, Campbell Kellaway, Marcus Harris, Peter Handscomb, Ollie Peake, Dylan Brasher, Scott Boland, Sam Elliott, Mitchell Perry, Will Sutherland, Todd Murphy

South Australia Preview

Defending champions South Australia couldn't really replicate the same performance as last season, finishing 2nd but managing to qualify for back-to-back finals. 

This season, they won 4 matches, lost 2 and had 3 matches end in a draw. But it's not been a great outing against Victoria this season as they lost one and managed to play out a draw in the last match itself.

They have delivered one of the best batting performances this season. Opening batter Henry Hunt is the side’s top run scorer in the competition. The 29-year-old batter has scored 667 runs in 19 innings, scoring only one century and a further three half-centuries. He has had several good starts only to lose his wicket when set. 

South Australia has a very strong middle-order. Middle-order batter Jake Lehmann is the side’s 2nd top scorer with 561 runs in 14 innings, averaging 40.07 and scoring 2 centuries. Captain Nathan McSweeney has scored 405 runs in 17 innings while Jason Sangha and Liam Scott have scored 537 and 496 runs respectively.

Australia international wicketkeeper batter Alex Carey has scored 305 runs in 10 innings. Only opening batter Mackenzie Harvey has been a disappointment so far. He has scored only 162 runs in 8 innings.

With the ball, they haven't been as good as Victoria bowlers, but they have a great blend of youth and experienced bowlers. Experienced campaigner Nathan McAndrew with all his experience of playing domestic cricket, is the side's top wicket-taker this season with 32 wickets while Jordan Buckingham has taken 26 wickets. 

All-rounder Liam Scott has taken 23 wickets while Brendan Doggett has picked 19 wickets. Henry Thornton with his express pace has been lethal too, bagging 17 wickets while Italy international off-spin bowler Ben Manenti has taken 13 wickets.

South Australia Predicted Playing XI:

Mackenzie Harvey, Henry Hunt, Nathan McSweeney (C), Alex Carey (WK), Jason Sangha, Jake Lehmann, Liam Scott, Ben Manenti, Nathan McAndrew, Henry Thornton, Jordan Buckingham.

South Australia Actual Playing XI:

Henry Hunt, Mackenzie Harvey, Nathan McSweeney, Jason Sangha, Alex Carey, Jake Lehmann, Liam Scott, Benjamin Manenti, Nathan McAndrew, Henry Thornton, Jordan Buckingham

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The weather forecast for the matchday in Melbourne is going to be mixed. There is some rain expected on the opening two days, particularly during the mid-day. The temperature will touch the high of 21°C on day four and could touch the low at 11°C on opening day. There is a 50-60% chance of rain on the first two days and we should see interruption free games on the following days.

VAC vs SAC Pitch Report

Junction Oval in Melbourne usually offers a balanced pitch for Sheffield Shield multi-day matches. It has good pace and bounce early on, giving pacers decent seam movement, especially if there's a bit of grass. The surface can flatten out nicely for batting later, but spinners also get some turn as the game goes on. Expect competitive cricket here as the average first inning score here is 301 and the average 2nd inning score is 326. 

Toss: To Bat

In a multi-day red ball cricket match, it is ideal to bat first after winning the toss. At the Junction Oval, it is good to bat in the initial days before we see spin bowlers and pacers find some help from the surface. In this season, 2 out of 3 matches have been won by the batting first side while the other match ended in a draw.