Exciting week of State domestic cricket

An exciting week of State domestic cricket is expected with the semi-final of the State Shield on Wednesday and the final of the State Shield and the one-off State of Origin match at the weekend.

The State Shield semi-final will be played on Wednesday between the State Wellington Firebirds and the State Northern Knights at the Basin Reserve beginning at noon.

The State Shield final will be played on Saturday, between the State Auckland Aces and the winner of Wellington v Northern Districts match, at North Harbour Stadium beginning at 10am.

The State of Origin match will be played between the North Island and South Island on Sunday at North Harbour Stadium beginning at 10am.

"The State of Origin match will conclude what promises to be a thrilling weekend of cricket for Auckland which will also be televised live on Sky and TV3," New Zealand Cricket chief executive Martin Snedden said.

Wednesday's State Shield semi-final will also be screened live on Sky.

"We expect top quality cricket from the State Shield finalists while the State of Origin match adds another exciting dimension to this domestic cricket season and we anticipate a strong level of public interest in the match."

If the reserve day for the State Shield final is required on Sunday, February 2, the State of Origin match will be played on Monday, February 3.