Queensland vs Western Australia - Sheffield Shield (21st match) - Match recap - WA Warriors win by one wicket
Western Australia’s Retravision Warriors narrowly clinched a one-wicket victory against Queensland on February 9, despite an outstanding bowling performance by the Bulls’ Alister McDermott. The two teams faced off in the 21st Sheffield Shield
match, played at the Brisbane Cricket Ground at the Gabba.
The hosts won the toss, and chose to bat, but performed poorly to set their opponents an easy 68 to chase, while leaving their bowlers a lot to accomplish, who despite that, managed to make timely inroads as the four-day match ended in a pulsating finish.
The Bulls amassed 251 in their first innings, with Chris Lynn being the top scorer with 80. WA’s Nathan Coulter-Nile managed to grab a significant 4-wicket haul, while Nathan Rimmington picked up 3.
The Warriors’ first outing saw them score 359, generating a healthy lead of 108. Left-hander Shaun Marsh top scored with 79, closely followed by Liam Davis, who made 68.
Both men also established a crucial 99-run partnership - the highest of the innings, which brought clear day light between their unbeaten opponents. Bull’s pacer Ben Cutting emerged as the star bowler, claiming five scalps – dismantling the middle and lower
order to give his side a glimmer of a hope.
When Chris Hartley’s batsmen stepped up to the crease for their second innings, the pressure was high to rack up a substantial score; however, they faltered badly on a mere 175, being bowled out in 61.3 overs. Joe Burns remained the top scorer for his side,
contributing 43. The Warriors’ bowlers gained momentum near the end, taking the final six wickets quickly, conceding just 64 runs. Michael Beer collected 3-19, while Rimmington again scooped up 3.
The last and decisive innings featured an impressive performance by Queensland's young pacer, who wrecked up the tourists top 7 batters, which lead in a nail-biting finish. The Warriors’ batsmen, chasing a target of 68, gave mediocre performances, with only
three of them reaching the double digit mark.
McDermott’s spell left the game wide open as the youngster accounted for Liam Davis and Wes Robinson upfront, before taking out other important scalps of the Marsh brothers, along with top scorer Adam Vogues (18) to leave Marcus North’s side at a precarious
52 for 7.
The Warriors were still 4 runs short of their target when Cutting took two wickets in quick succession to put his side a whisker away from an unlikely win. However, their prospect of keeping their unbeaten run hit a telling blow as Western Australia’s 11th
batsman; Michael Hogan made two runs off each of the next two deliveries to bring his side an invaluable victory.
The narrow win helped the visitors earn 6 points (making it a total of 26), and allowed them to move up to second place on the Sheffield Shield points table, directly below the Bulls (who are currently at the top of the table, with 30 points). Queensland’s
McDermott was declared Player of the Match, following his stunning seven-wicket haul.