New South Wales rolled the dice several times on Day 1 of the Sheffield Shield final, but it was Queensland’s consistent execution that came up trumps.
The Blues were rolled for just 143 on a surprisingly sporting Allan Border Field pitch before Queensland cut the deficit to double figures with nine wickets still in the sheds.
It was a series of gambles by NSW that failed to materialise on Day 1 that has left them in a difficult position.
First they opted to favour ball over bat at the selection table, a move that backfired considerably.
In picking a five-man bowling attack the Blues were forced to bat all-rounder Sean Abbott at No. 6.
Abbott has had a fine season with the bat, but he is not a top-six player.
The move might have been viable had the experienced Peter Nevill been batting behind him at No. 7, but he wasn’t.
Instead it was third-gamer Baxter Holt who was thrown into the deep end.
That move inadvertently heaped pressure on Jack Edwards and Jason Sangha at Nos. 4 and 5, who weren’t up to the task.
Sangha himself rolled the dice and similarly failed.
Having watched Daniel Hughes and Kurtis Patterson bogged down early – both took 40-plus deliveries to move beyond five – Sangha opted to counter punch.
He drove from the outset and the aggression forced Usman Khawaja to push the field back.
But Sangha had yet to gather a feel for the tacky surface and spooned an easy caught-and-bowled after attacking his first short ball from the excellent Michael Neser (5-27).
This was a crucial moment in the match and triggered a collapse of 8-67.
He wasn’t the only one to gamble and fail.
Senior statesman Mitchell Starc, so often the contributor of valuable lower-order runs for Australia, opted for aggression when caution was needed.
Michael Neser has been excellent (Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
Starc holed out to long-on at a similarly crucial time, with the Blues at 6-123.
This was a period when 200-plus was still on the cards — a total that might’ve amounted to par given their star-studded bowling outfit.
“I tell you what, I’d be disappointed with Mitchell Starc if I was Abbott,” Symonds said on Fox Cricket immediately after the dismissal.
“I’d be just thinking, ‘Mate, I just need you to play. I didn’t need you to take the game on like that — it’s not that sort of wicket’. I’d be disappointed in the way he’s gone about that.”
The Blues’ 143 was the second-lowest total in the first match innings of a Sheffield Shield final.
Queensland’s 102 in 2004-05 is the lowest.
But while NSW can be criticised for their decision-making on Day 1, credit should be heaped Queensland’s way — in particular a bowling outfit that, as Neser put it at tea, had “bought in” to a plan.
Neser and Jack Wildermuth (4-21) took the spoils, but it was an all-round seamers’ effort that pushed their side into a commanding position.
Brendan Doggett (1-38 off 15) and Xavier Bartlett (0-24 off 12) maintained the pressure and nagging length that overall drew six edges through to the keeper and slips cordon.
Despite Queensland’s Day 1 dominance, NSW are still in the match given their Test-quality attack.
Nathan Lyon drew huge turn on his very first delivery late on Thursday and showed that fourth-innings batting at Allan Border field will be tough.
He also caused early issues to the left-handed Bryce Street (14 not out off 69) – good signs with Usman Khawaja and Matthew Renshaw, two more lefties, to come.
Unsurprisingly, it was Marnus Labuschagne (23 not out off 48) who looked a class above in the centre.
A hundred from the world’s No. 3 Test batter on Friday would ensure Queensland has one hand on the 2020-21 Sheffield Shield.
JamesH
Roar Guru
"It has always been...' is never a good reason. Times change, Bernie. Women's cricket is no longer just some fringe curiosity that has no bearing on the game as a whole. You can get grumpy or you can get on board. You do you, but it's happening either way ;)
Pope Paul VII
Roar Rookie
Bat Girl?
Gee
Roar Rookie
Cummins isn't playing, so only 3/4 of our greatest bowling attack ever :laughing: is in for NSW.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
They're from Kempsey dem fulla's. ---- I'm from Murray Bridge, Disney are putting on a show there. Called "Murray Bridge on Ice" ---- That's what ol' mate Kevin Kropinyeri told me
Micko
Roar Rookie
Good bait for Bernie, got him!
Paul
Roar Guru
I've done as you suggested and yes, he was set up nicely. That said, when you look at the actual leave that got him out, it was appalling. He'd decided, before the ball had pitched, he was going to let it go. His front foot hardly goes down the pitch and he ends up on middle stump, leaving plenty of room for the ball to go sailing past and hit off stump. I also didn't see it move much, just hold it's line on off stump which Gilkes failed to cover.
Marcus
Guest
The whole Shield final, and most of the season is a complete joke. Both ends of the season have seen players taken to play in the IPL, another counties domestic comp, in favour of our own. Shows how much CA values our comps.
Tom
If you watch the ball before Gilkes’ dismissal it is far less disgraceful. The previous ball nipped away and went past the outside edge of his bat, the wicket taking ball pitches in exactly the same spot and nipped back in. He left the exact same ball as the previous ball. Just a damn good piece of bowling to put the batsman in 2 minds.
Tom
Qld’s bowling yesterday was absolutely relentless. Dont want to hear about the weak batting lineup and blah blah blah. Wildermuth and Neser were sensational and would have taken wickets against far better batting lineups bowling like they did yesterday.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
No, this rubbish about there being a NSW bias needs to stop. Starc and Neser have almost identical first class bowling averages despite more than half of Starc's first class cricket being tests against much better opposition than Neser has faced in the Shield. Nobody is denying that Starc has had a shocker of a summer, but he's been one of the best fast bowlers in the world in test cricket for years. That's why he's in the test team. It's got nothing to do with where he's from.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Yeah, I don't know that it would matter who was bowling with the sort of mood Marnus is in at the moment. It's like we are playing a video game and he's found all the cheat codes. Hopefully he can keep doing this for another 10 years!
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Let's face it. This is just all about Marnus! He's just on another level to every other batsman in the game. And lets hope he can continue to be for many years to come for Australia too!
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Mind you, in that SA game, NSW also declared behind on the first innings themselves. So the sporting declarations well and truly went both ways in that game. And as far as this "IPL lucre" rubbish. I'm sure that if you were given the option to take a couple of months off your normal job and take a contract doing the same thing for a different company, but they would pay you double your normal annual salary for that couple of months work, that you would turn it down. But I doubt there are all that many others who would. It's not like they are doing something immoral for that money, they are cricketers playing cricket. The idea that they should somehow sacrifice the chance to make some serious money from that because a few keyboard jockeys in Australia don't like it is a bit ridiculous!
Larry1950
Guest
Yet they chose to bat first? Who is their coach, another cocky new south Welshman.
Lawrence
Roar Rookie
Starc, Lyon are overrated, time for change. Street faced 200 plus balls, hardly Pujara. Neser, Swepson far more impressive. Hazlewood too needs the right surface, mostly ineffective otherwise. NSW bias needs to stop.
Paul
Roar Guru
Bernie, we both know there are lots of people out there willing to take offence at just about anything these days. Thankfully I don't have too many dealings with that sort - and when I do, I do the decent thing and respectfully ignore them.
Paul
Roar Guru
In my experience, the overwhelming majority of those who are politically correct, have zero tolerance for others opinions. It's their way or the highway, which makes them amongst the most disrespectful people I've had the misfortune to meet. Listening to others is common decency and when the PC brigade can't do that because they're always right, they fail that category too
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
Continuing on from where they left off in the second innings of Sydney and Brisbane ...
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
Yep that was 1992-93, the final which also saw the first class debut of Martin Love, whom I played against in junior cricket in the bush. He scored 42 in the first innings of that final. As for Holdsworth, his performance rightly earned him a spot on the 1993 Ashes tour. Unfortunately for Holdsworth, they took him on tour to gain first class experience, but strangely decided to give him none, hardly getting a game even in the tour matches, back in the days when tours began in mid April and ran until early September. Holdsworth was never the same shield player again, and obviously his candle for higher honours was also snuffed out.
Once Upon a Time on the Roar
Roar Guru
Rubbish. It has always been batsman and the MCC have chosen to retain the terminology in the Laws of Cricket. What women do in their cricket is entirely their prerogative.