| Countries |  Australia |
|---|---|
| Administrator | Cricket Australia |
| Format | Four-day |
| First edition | 1999–2000 |
| Latest edition | 2022–23 |
| Next edition | 2023–24 |
| Tournament format | Round-robin tournament |
| Number of teams | 7 |
The Second XI (currently known as the Toyota Second XI under naming rights) is a men's cricket league competed for primarily by Australian state and territory first-class cricket reserve teams. The competition is administered by Cricket Australia and is considered part of the national development pathway.
Ordinarily a low-fanfare competition that exists purely as a bridge between the Sheffield Shield and grade cricket, the tournament reached its peak of public consciousness ahead of the 2009–10 season, when it rebranded to the Futures League. This coincided with a focus on youth, driven by a restriction on teams to field only three players over 23 years of age. This proved unpopular, and age restrictions were relaxed for the 2011–12 season before being removed entirely ahead of the 2013–14 season.[1]
After 21 seasons of consecutive competition, the 2020–21 Second XI was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic preventing play. Upon its resumption in the 2021–22 season, the Second XI abstained from publishing official points tables, meaning that champions are no longer awarded.[2] League champions were previously calculated based on a points quotient that accounted for the varying numbers of matches that each team may play in a season. The most recent championship was awarded in 2019–20 to the Queensland Academy of Sport.[3]
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
:5was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Cricket Australia Second XI Competition 2019/20 | Points Table". ESPN Cricinfo. 2023. Retrieved 24 August 2023.