Former Test star Justin Langer has urged Cricket Australia not to scrap the Sheffield Shield final, but he concedes changes need to be made so it doesn’t become torture to watch.

The future of the Shield final is under a cloud due to the packed cricket schedule and the growing popularity of Twenty20 cricket.

Some cricket greats want the Shield final canned under a revamped system that would award the title to the ladder-leading side.

Langer doesn’t want that to happen, but he also knows the status quo can’t continue.

Under current rules, the team who finishes on top of the table only requires a draw in the five-day final to secure the title.

That has led to home teams producing batter-friendly wickets that generally peter out to a boring draw.

WA have been on the wrong end of that in the past two Shield finals, and Langer wants Cricket Australia to ensure future deciders are played on fairer pitches.

“I’d love to see a Sheffield Shield final continue to be played. It’s a real showcase event, and it tests people in under pressure,” Langer said.

“But when you play on (flat) wickets like that, it’s not a contest.

“That’s what we’ve found in the last two Shield finals – it’s like torture watching it.

“You don’t go into a boxing match with one hand tied behind your back. You can’t knock them out, because you need two hands.”

Victoria secured the Shield title last week with a sluggish batting display that would have put even the most enthusiastic fans to sleep.

Across their two innings, Victoria scored at just 2.16 runs per over compared to WA’s 3.8.

“If Matthew Wade gets nine off 99 balls, it suggests it’s going to be pretty hard to get wickets,” said Langer, who guided the Warriors to the 50-over title and the Scorchers to the T20 crown this season.

“There’s got to be some common sense (in regards to pitch preparations). But that’s hard to get with humans.”