On the final day of their Sheffield Shield fixture, the Queensland Bulls secured their fourth straight win, seeing off a defiant middle order resistance from the NSW Blues in the second innings at the Gabba.
The Bulls looked certain to taste victory against NSW in the morning session. Needing 224 to win, with 7 wickets in hand, the Blues capitulated early as the Queensland quicks took advantage of the overcast conditions and a deteriorating wicket.
Resuming at 3/24 with Mitchell Starc and Steve Smith at the crease, the pair barely warmed up before they found themselves trotting back to the sheds.
Starc was first to go, caught by Peter Forrest at first slip off seam bowler Chris Swan taking his 100th wicket in first class cricket.
Two runs short of double digit figures, inconsistent all-rounder Steve Smith soon followed Starc. th Pivoting for an aggressive pull shot off a James Hopes bouncer, Smith’s poorly timed attempt snicked the top edge and was caught brilliantly by wicketkeeper Chris Hartley leaping to his left.
After a brief partnership from Ben Rohrer and Moises Henriques, Swan grabbed his second scalp of the second innings drawing Rohrer into a lazy, half-hearted swipe to get caught behind by Hartley on just 7 runs.
Staring down the barrel of a brisk defeat at 6/59, Henriques and Peter Nevill produced enough for a highlights reel with a swag of textbook cuts, cover and straight drives to give the visitors some hope of making a stand at the crease.
Then in an effort to get the scoreboard ticking over, Henriques swung at one too many, caught at point by Joe Burns off the bowling of first innings hero Ben Cutting, to make it 7/85.
However things started to look up for NSW when Nevill dug in for a 39-run partnership with Blues captain Stephen O’Keefe before lunch.
After the break, O’Keefe and Nevill picked up where they left off, bringing the run chase within range. They were helped along when Luke Feldman, who came on to bowl at the Vulture Street end, struggled to string together a decent over to put pressure on the Blues.
With O’Keefe, Nevill chipped away at the total for a 70-run partnership until leg spinner Cameron Boyce bamboozled Neville to knock the bails off.
At 8/155 O’Keefe unleashed on the Queensland bowlers, even hitting two sixes, as the win appeared within reach. Just before 1pm the New South Welshman made his half-century and by quarter past he’d reached 81 runs taking Josh Hazlewood on the ride with him.
Hazlewood finally fell after amassing 13 runs on the Gabba surface. Clean bowled by Cameron Boyce, Doug Bollinger then moseyed onto the crease carrying a hamstring injury. Though the stage was still set for NSW to steal the win from the Bulls.
The Blues needed just 15 runs to win with one wicket in hand, but O’Keefe didn’t change his method of attack. Continuing to slash at every ball, he spooned numerous shots up in the air, but unfortunately for the Bulls they fell in unmanned areas each time.
Then just after 1.30pm, off a short delivery from the in form, freshly selected Australia A player Ben Cutting, O’Keefe’s luck finally ran out on 82 runs. Caught trying to guide it over Harley’s head, the wicket left NSW all out for 209, 14 runs short of the win.
Cutting’s stellar spell in the close contest against the Blues saw the pace bowler rightfully earn man-of-the-match honours taking 7/88 in total, which included the removal of the dangerous NSW top order, a half century with the bat and clinching the match-deciding final wicket.
It’s the perfect start to the cricket season for the Bulls with their fourth consecutive Shield victory, and sees the Queenslanders safely located on the top of the Bupa Sheffield Shield ladder, well ahead of their nearest rival.
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