Image: Queensland replied with 430 to secure a comfortable win / © ESPNcricinfo
In the match where Queensland faced off against Victoria in the Sheffield Shield at Brisbane, day three brought intense action as the game headed toward a decisive finish. Starting with Victoria’s second innings, the team found themselves in a tough spot after Queensland had built a solid first-innings lead. Victoria had declared at 318 for 9 in their first innings, but Queensland responded strongly with 430 all out, giving them a 112-run advantage.
The innings kicked off poorly for Victoria. Campbell Kellaway, the young opener, was dismissed for a duck in the third over. He edged a delivery from Xavier Bartlett straight to wicketkeeper Jimmy Peirson, leaving the score at 2 for 1 after just 2.5 overs. This early blow set a shaky tone. Sam Harper, the wicketkeeper-batsman, came in next but didn’t last long either. He managed only 2 runs off 9 balls before being caught by Angus Lovell off Tom Straker’s bowling in the fourth over. Straker, the young fast bowler, generated good pace and movement, and Harper’s tentative poke outside off stump resulted in a simple catch. Now at 4 for 2 after 3.3 overs, Victoria was reeling, with their top order exposed early.
Peter Handscomb, an experienced batsman, joined Marcus Harris at the crease. Handscomb looked to stabilize, but he too fell cheaply, scoring just 5 runs off 23 balls. He was trapped lbw by Bartlett in the 11th over, a decision that seemed fair as the ball nipped back in. The score was now 11 for 3, and Queensland’s seamers were dominating. Marcus Harris, who had scored 18 in the first innings, showed some fight. He batted patiently, accumulating 14 runs off 77 balls with careful defense against the moving pink ball under day-night conditions. However, his vigil ended in the 27th over when he edged Gurinder Sandhu to Peirson, departing after facing a tough spell. At 70 for 4, Victoria’s hopes were dimming, but Matthew Short was starting to counterattack.
Short, known for his aggressive style, provided a spark. He top-scored with 54 runs off 85 balls, including several boundaries that kept the scoreboard ticking. His partnership with Oliver Peake added some respectability. Peake, a promising player, contributed 27 off 38 balls, playing with composure. Together, they put on 44 runs for the fifth wicket, mixing solid defense with occasional drives. But Bartlett struck again in the 38th over, trapping Peake lbw for 27. The score moved to 114 for 5, and the lead was still modest. Short continued to battle, reaching his half-century, but Sandhu returned to dismantle the middle order. In the 44th over, Short was bowled by Sandhu for 54, a beautiful delivery that clipped the top of off stump. That made it 124 for 6.
The collapse accelerated from there. Fergus O’Neill came and went without scoring, caught by Bartlett off Sandhu in the same over. Will Sutherland, the captain, followed immediately, also for a duck, caught by Bartlett again off Sandhu. It was a hat-trick opportunity missed, but Sandhu was on fire, claiming his third wicket in quick succession. At 124 for 8, Victoria was in tatters. Mitchell Perry tried to hang on, scoring 16 off 40 balls with gritty defense, but Sandhu got him lbw in the 52nd over for the ninth wicket at 139. Sam Elliott, unbeaten on 4 off 28 balls, and Todd Murphy added a few more, but Murphy was caught by Peirson off Bartlett for 2 in the 53rd over. Victoria folded for 143 in 53 overs, setting Queensland a target of just 32 runs.
Sandhu was the star bowler, finishing with 5 for 23 in 16 overs, his best figures in the match. His ability to swing the ball and maintain accuracy dismantled Victoria’s lineup. Bartlett supported well with 4 for 35 in 13 overs, using his height for extra bounce. Straker chipped in with 1 for 26, while Sam Geyer and Mitchell Swepson bowled economically but without wickets. Extras added 19 runs, including 8 leg byes, 3 no-balls, and 8 wides, showing some waywardness but not enough to help Victoria. The innings run rate was a low 2.69, reflecting the dominance of the bowlers on a pitch offering assistance.
Shifting to Queensland’s second innings, they needed only 32 runs to win, with plenty of time left on day three. Chasing such a small target, they aimed for a quick finish, but Victoria’s bowlers made them work, picking up three early wickets to add some drama. Matt Renshaw, who had scored a century in the first innings, opened with Angus Lovell. Renshaw started positively but was dismissed for 4 off 8 balls in the second over. He edged Mitchell Perry to Fergus O’Neill, who took a sharp catch. The score was 9 for 1 after 1.6 overs, a minor setback but nothing alarming.
Lovell, fresh from 40 in the first innings, looked steady but lasted only one ball. He scored 5 off 5, including a boundary, before being caught by Peter Handscomb off O’Neill in the third over. At 9 for 2 after 2.1 overs, Queensland had a brief wobble, reminiscent of Victoria’s collapses. Jack Clayton came in at number three and played sensibly, remaining not out on 11 off 11 balls with a couple of boundaries to ease the pressure. Hugh Weibgen joined him but struggled, scoring 1 off 5 before edging Perry to keeper Sam Harper in the fourth over. That made it 12 for 3 after 3.1 overs, and suddenly the chase felt tense despite the tiny target.
Lachlan Hearne, who had made 47 in the first innings, came in next and settled the nerves. He finished not out on 11 off 9 balls, striking a six to show aggression and guide the team home. Together with Clayton, they added 20 unbeaten runs for the fourth wicket. The winning runs came in the seventh over, with Queensland reaching 32 for 3 in 6.2 overs at a run rate of 5.05.
Perry was Victoria’s best bowler, taking 2 for 22 in 3 overs with good line and length. O’Neill supported with 1 for 10 in 3.2 overs, but they couldn’t force more breakthroughs. The short innings highlighted Queensland’s depth, as even with three wickets down, they cruised to victory by 7 wickets. Clayton’s unbeaten 11 and Hearne’s 11 not out were crucial in the final push.
The innings wrapped up the match efficiently, with Queensland earning 8.4 points and Victoria getting 1.88. Sandhu’s overall performance, including his 33 runs and bowling in both innings, earned him Player of the Match. For Queensland, this win boosted their standing in the Sheffield Shield table, where they sat second with 25.98 points from five matches. Victoria, despite strong individual efforts like Short’s half-century, slipped with their batting failures.
When the Victorian batting lineup faced Queensland’s bowlers in their second innings, it was Gurinder Sandhu who stole the show with a spellbinding performance that became TCNI’s Magic Moment of the Game. The tall pacer, armed with swing and seam, ripped through the opposition, claiming a remarkable five-wicket haul for just 23 runs in 16 overs, including six maidens. His economy rate of 1.43 kept the pressure on, as Victoria crumbled to 143 all out in 53 overs at a run rate of 2.69.
Sandhu’s magic started early, dismissing opener Marcus Harris for 14, caught behind by Jimmy Peirson off a probing delivery in the 27th over. He then turned the tide decisively around the 43rd over, bowling a devastating triple-wicket maiden. First, he clean-bowled the top scorer Matthew Short for 54, ending a gritty knock. Moments later, Fergus O’Neill edged to Xavier Bartlett at slip for a duck, followed by captain Will Sutherland nicking another to Bartlett for zero. Sandhu wrapped up his fifer by trapping Mitchell Perry lbw for 16 in the 52nd over.
For the TCNI’s Hero of the Day, Matthew Short stood out with his gritty resistance in Victoria’s second innings, turning a dire situation into a fighting effort. Coming in at a precarious 11 for 3 after early collapses, including Campbell Kellaway’s duck and quick dismissals of Sam Harper and Peter Handscomb, Short anchored the innings with a determined 54 runs off 85 balls. His knock featured seven crisp boundaries, maintaining a strike rate of 63.52, which provided much-needed stability amid the team’s struggles.
Short’s partnerships were crucial as he added 59 runs for the fourth wicket with Marcus Harris (14 off 77) and another 44 with Oliver Peake (27 off 38), pushing the score from 11 to 114 before Peake fell lbw to Xavier Bartlett. Facing a potent Queensland attack led by Gurinder Sandhu (5 for 23) and Bartlett (4 for 35), Short resisted for over two hours, surviving bouncers and swing to frustrate the bowlers. Though bowled by Sandhu eventually, his half-century was the innings’ highlight, lifting Victoria to 143 in 53 overs at a run rate of 2.69.