‘Remembered forever’: Stunning SA Shield scenes proof ‘domestic cricket is alive and thriving’

The party is continuing for South Australia’s triumphant Sheffield Shield team, which received a heroes reception in Adelaide on Monday as interstate rivals admitted watching the wild celebrations that unfolded with envy.

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Australian cult hero Scott Boland declared the thrilling final between the Redbacks and Queensland was proof that “domestic cricket is alive and thriving” as fans flocked to Rundle Mall in the centre of Adelaide’s CBD to laud the Nathan McSweeney-led team on Monday.

There were roars as heroes including centurions Jason Sangha and Jake Lehmann were welcomed at a chest-beating reception hosted by SA Premier Peter Malinauskas and Adelaide Lord Mayor Jane Lomax-Smith after the success at Karen Rolton Oval.

Ryan Harris, the former Australian fast bowler who coached SA to its first Sheffield Shield triumph in 29 years in a dramatic victory over Queensland, joined McSweeney on the stage to discuss how the Redbacks managed to pull off the drought-breaking success.

“There are a few tired boys over there and we probably still haven’t had the chance to sit down and reflect on exactly what we have done yet, but I will do that over the next couple of days and next couple of weeks,” Harris said.

“It is quite an achievement, what we have done. I am just so proud of this group (and) the belief we have had this year, … and everyone has done it, not just one or two boys, so I am proud of them.”

McSweeney said to see “how much it mattered” to the SA fans was why he played the game and it was “just awesome to be a part of”.

“Hopefully this is just the start of something we can keep building on … and I really think if we can keep this core group together, we can do this for a long period of time and I am very lucky to be a part of it,” McSweeney said.

“When I grew up watching cricket on TV, I always remembered the fans running on to the ground as the players tried to come off and it was just cool to see it all happen. Everyone who was there will remember that forever. It was a great spectacle.”

Cricket Australia chief executive Todd Greenburg was in Adelaide for the final and said on Monday “anyone who was concerned about the future of Sheffield Shield cricket and the importance of the final only needed to tune in to see the scenes”.

“I couldn’t have been prouder of the players who played an amazing brand of cricket and congratulations to the team on a well earned and well deserved victory,” he said.

South Australia Cricket Association President William Rayner said there was “so much to celebrate (over) this summer just gone” and declared that “South Australian fans are the best fans in world cricket”.

“What a fantastic weekend it was for all of South Australia and for South Australian cricket,” he said.

“We are really excited to bring the Shield home. (It is) the first South Australian to do the one-day and the Shield double and we are equally excited to share it with the South Australian public today and also to announce a jam-packed summer to come.

“A massive thanks to all who celebrated those extraordinary scenes at KRO on the weekend … and everyone across Australia who contributed to those chaotic scenes at KRO. It was a spectacle that has gone viral across the world.

“You speak to the players and they have not seen crowds like that ever in their lives. It was such a great spectacle and I have been getting text messages and messages from people all over the world saying, ‘You guys in South Australia, you show us how it was done’.”

The Sheffield Shield decider also had the attention of cricketers across the country, with champion off-spinner Nathan Lyon, Victorian quick Boland and superstar Ellyse Perry among those captivated by both the match and the celebratory scenes afterwards.

Sangha, who credited South Australia with rescuing his career after he was effectively cut by New South Wales last year, was mobbed by fans after guiding his adopted state to a four wicket triumph with an unbeaten 126 in the second innings.

While there was disappointment the Sheffield Shield final could not be held at Adelaide Oval due to safety issues associated with holding AFL matches on either side of the dates for the decider, crowds still flocked to the smaller ground.

Champion South African bowler Dale Steyn and former England captain and Fox Cricket analyst Michael Vaughan were also moved by the emotion of fans in Adelaide.

In a post on social media, Steyn expressed his delight at the scenes that unfolded after South Australia’s success on Saturday when declaring “red ball cricket” is alive, while Harris said it was brilliant to see the joy across the ground at the end of play.

“It was unreal. When we got upstairs and looked over the ground and saw the crowd, I just looked at the boys faces and I don’t think they (realised) how important it was and is,” Harris said.

“Just talking to them yesterday, they were all still buzzing about it. With everyone running on — (we remembered) the scenes from 29 years ago and we were interested to see if it was going to happen … and they were blown away by it. It is a great thing.”

Boland, whose Victorian teammate Fergus O’Neill earned Player of the Series honours after taking 38 wickets for the season, said there was a beauty in being to play high-class matches at boutique venues.

“I think (there is a) beauty of playing on grounds that aren’t sort of the main Test venues from our point of view (and) I think it just shows how much the domestic competitions mean to people,” Boland said.

“Obviously for us, we were so close to making that final we missed out by two wickets, or 28 runs, or whatever it was, so it could have been us contending in that game, so I am a bit jealous from that point of view. But you can see the domestic crew is alive and thriving.”

Perry, who was speaking in Melbourne as Cricket Australia announced its schedule for next summer, said the post-match “scenes were just awesome” at Karen Rolton Oval.

“It shows just the power of the domestic competitions … to create that kind of atmosphere and emotion around a title, especially for South Australia, which had not won for such a long time,” she said.

But Perry, who is enjoying a break after a busy summer, said the strength of the domestic scene in Australia was a factor in the nation’s success on the international scene.

“It (also shows) just how important those competitions are, particularly from a women’s perspective,” she said.

“We’re so incredibly lucky to have the depth we do and that is all come through building our domestic competitions. They are some of the toughest in the world, so they are vital for many reasons.”