English givers?

"Poms want Sheffield Shield"

What? What?

So says the SMH link to this article. Apparently an Englishman thinks it is most appropriate that the shield be treated as a memorial to the bloke who paid for it, rather than to over one hundred years of Australian cricketers striving to win it. That's what it was made for, after all.

I'm sure the Australians who hosted Lord Sheffield and his team in 1891-92 weren't expecting such a gift in return. It was a generous gift and appreciated, whatever you think of the resulting artwork. But I don't think they thought they'd be asked to give it back, either.