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NSW surrendered a home preliminary final with a listless performance against out-of-contention Queensland in the Twenty20 match at ANZ Stadium.
The Blues must now travel to Hobart for their playoff date with Tasmania on Tuesday after they were bowled out for a dreary 120, which the Bulls reached with a gaping eight wickets and 37 balls to spare.
A profligate effort against opponents with little to play for means NSW risk missing out on a share in the millions on offer to the two qualifiers for the 2011 T20 Champions League.
Perhaps playing for another T20 contract, Englishman Michael Lumb (40, 26 balls) pounded a pair of sixes to kick-start the Bulls’ chase and his captain James Hopes (62no, 38 balls) ensured none of that momentum was lost.
Lumb skied a chance from the bowling of Stuart Clark in the third over but was reprieved when Phil Jaques – never the surest of fielders – failed to get a hand to a swirling chance and the Bulls made merry from that moment onwards.
Hopes could be proud of his contribution, having set Queensland on the path to victory in front of 19,849 spectators by dismissing Usman Khawaja with the first ball of the match.
Queensland’s bowlers had formed a capable ensemble on a spongy pitch and outfield, paceman Ben Laughlin (3-25), spinners Chris Simpson (2-8) and Brad Ipson (1-20) and Hopes (1-8) all doing firm jobs.
Recalled senior pros Dominic Thornely (34) and Jaques (22) were the only Blues bats to offer much substance.
Needing only to avert a horrific defeat to secure their place in a preliminary final against Tasmania, the Blues made the poorest of starts.
With Phil Hughes dropped, Test No.3 Khawaja opened in place of Jaques but lasted precisely one ball, swivelling to pull Hopes and dragging the ball onto the stumps.
Next over Dave Warner attempted a similar stroke at the spin of Simpson and was pouched behind square leg by Craig Philipson, then wicketkeeper Daniel Smith fiddled unconvincingly at Laughlin to edge behind.
The rest of the innings was a struggle, Thornely surviving but incapable of doing much more due to a revolving door of batting partners at the other end.
Blues captain Stuart Clark did not hide his disgust at the efforts of the NSW batsmen.
“A dismal batting performance is probably the best way to describe it,” he said.
“When you get 120 you’re not going to win many games of T20 cricket … if I’m getting a bat we haven’t batted that well.”
Bulls skipper Hopes lamented a tournament in which two convincing wins had been overshadowed by four defeats.
“Two out of the six games we’ve put on a performance like that, and it’s a shame, I’m not sure what we were doing in the other four,” he said.
“If we beat two teams like that we probably have to ask ourselves what we were doing in the other four run chases.”
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