Western Australia’s hopes of qualifying for their first Bupa Sheffield Shield Final in 15 years have suffered a major setback after a disappointing batting performance on the first day of their final round clash with New South Wales at the Manuka Oval.
The Western Warriors were bowled out midway through the second session for 82, the State’s ninth lowest ever score in the Sheffield Shield.
WA lost five wickets within the first hour, being 5-15 at one stage, after captain Adam Voges won the toss and elected to bat.
The visitors went into the game with the knowledge an outright win would earn them a home Shield Final, thus the opening day’s display was a major disappointment, with third-placed NSW already claiming first innings points by stumps.
The Blues are 4-127 in reply at the close of play, with Kurtis Patterson (18no) and Peter Nevill (6no) at the crease.
Ashton Agar was the pick of the WA bowlers with 2-51, including the important wicket of Steve Smith for 48. Ryan Duffield and Michael Hogan claimed the other two wickets.
To make matters worse for WA, Marcus North suffered a bruised toe when he was trapped LBW by a Josh Hazlewood yorker. The problem kept North off the field during NSW’s batting innings on day one but he is expected to be fine to bowl and bat for the rest of the match.
NSW quicks Josh Hazlewood (4-14) and Doug Bollinger (4-28) did the damage, ripping apart the WA top order, while Australian spinner Nathan Lyon chipped in with two wickets.
North (0) was the first man to fall, out for a second ball duck to Hazlewood who also dismissed opener Cameron Bancroft (4) when he fended one to Nic Maddinson at short leg.
Bollinger dismissed Voges (2) and Shaun Marsh (0) within three balls, before Hazlewood struck three balls later with Marcus Harris (8) caught by Steve Smith in the slips to make it 5-15.
Sam Whiteman (9) fell to Nathan Lyon in the spinner’s first over, caught at slip by Smith, making it 6-31. Ashton Turner played some aggressive shots on his way to 25, WA’s top score, before falling to Lyon, with Canberra-born Ryan Carters taking a fine catch at short leg.
WA went to lunch at 7-63, but didn’t last long after the interval, with Bollinger wrapping up the innings.
The Warriors’ attack kept things tight early in response and when Hogan trapped Carters LBW in the eighth over, making it 1-8, there was hope. Maddinson looked very shaky early in his innings, with NSW going to tea at 1-19 after 17 overs.
However, Maddinson began to settle alongside Smith, who combined to take NSW to the cusp of first innings points, before Agar had the former caught by Hogan at long on for 30.
A Ben Rohrer boundary took NSW past WA’s first innings score, but Duffield dismissed him shortly after, while Agar got the wicket of the dangerous Smith.
Patterson and Nevill navigated the final 13 overs of the day, to have the Blues well in control at 4-127, with WA needing quick wickets in tomorrow’s first session to minimise the deficit.
WA 82 (Turner 25, Behrendorff 15no; Hazlewood 4-14, Bollinger 4-28) v NSW 4-127 (Smith 48, Maddinson 30; Agar 2-51, Hogan 1-17), Manuka Oval
James Buttler
As the editor of World Cricket Badger he is intent on building the website to give quality coverage of the domestic game around the world.
He is also the presenter of the Cricket Badger Radio Show on Radio Yorkshire every Tuesday evening between 7-9pm UK time.
James was the full-time Media Manager at Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 2007 and 2010.
James is a published author, a writer/video contributor to many cricket publications and a complete cricket badger!
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