Pura Cup: Tasmania v Queensland

[zoia]

After 7 overs queensland are 0/10, there has been some tight bowling by the tazzies. Scores will be updated druign the days play

[Donny]

It's 1/36 in the 16th. over.

Tassie won the toss and elected to bowl. The slow scoring rate indicates why. Maher is 22 n.o.

[Donny]

This is interesting. Sent in on a bowler friendly wicket, The Bulls played very carefully, going along at 2 r.p.o. and losing their openers in the 15th. and 16th. overs - both from edges to the keeper.

Now they are 2/209 with Love and Law combining for a 169 run partnership. Law is 89 n.o. and Love, 79 n.o.

As Lara found out in the last Test against Sth. Africa, there's a lot more to sending the opposition in on a greentop than meets the eye. The S.A. openers played carefully and then buried the Windies with a 301 run partnership and won the Test by 10 wickets.

He didn't have the bowling attack to capitalise but it's a little different here as Dan Marsh has some useful quicks in Wright, Denton and Downton. It's just that The Bulls have won the first day battle. Well, they're winning it at the moment.

[Donny]

At stumps, it's 6/289.

Law fell to Doherty for 99 and Love, to Wright for 100.

Wright has 3/65.

Honours about even after it looked like The Bulls might have dominated.

[Donny]

The Bulls again had good contributers outside their top six with Seccombe (34), Noffke (46), Hauritz (20 n.o.) and Kasprowicz (40 n.o. from only 29 balls) allowing them to declare on 8/400.

Tassie are 2/71 in the 29th. over.

[Donny]

3/170 at stumps with Di Venuto on 67 n.o.

[Donny]

After 88 overs, Tassie are 3/216.

Di Venuto is 78 n.o. and Dighton, 39 n.o.

The run rates indicates it's tough but there are 3 different possibilities. The wicket, the bowlers or the ladder.

For once the wicket may not be a batsman's paradise, the bowling may be very good or Tassie may be quite happy with a first innings win and denying The Bulls any points.

[Donny]

4/255 in the 101st. over.

Di Venuto made 91 before Kaspa got him, caught behind.

[Donny]

Well, I've gotta say, "Bravo, Dan Marsh"

He declared as soon as Tassie hit the lead. A 171 run partnership between he and Dighton did the damage.

Dighton was 127 n.o. and Marsh, 80 n.o.

Bearing in mind The Bulls declared at 8/400 with Horrie and Kaspa doing it easily, there just might just have been some sort of captain's agreement.

You know the sort of thing ? "Hey Dan. If we get to 400, I'll declare as long as you agree to declare if and as soon as you get the lead"

Nothing underhand. It's just both skippers deciding to make a game of it.

[Donny]

The Tassie Tigers are doing well. They have The Bulls 4/140.

Law made 45. Wright has 2/42.

[Donny]

The Bulls are fighting hard to make a game of this.

Philipson (62 n.o.) and Hopes (59 n.o.) have taken the score to 4/212, a lead of 210.

[Donny]

Philipson and Hopes both got centuries but Downton (4/59) ran through the tail to see them dismissed for 322. Wright took 3/63.

It was good to see Watson bowling again. He claimed the valuable scalps of Love and Law to finish with 2/31 from 11 overs.

The game was called off shortly after Tassie began their second innings due to bad weather.

This was a good result for The Bushrangers as Tassie only got 2 points and Queensland, none.

[Donny]

It seems I was off the mark with my comments about a captain's agreement.

Jimmy Maher is not happy.

He's talking through his pocket a bit though. It's not a sin to aim first for the 2 points and then see what develops, Especially when you lead the other team on the ladder.
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Bulls slam Tassie tactics - Fox

QUEENSLAND skipper Jimmy Maher today lashed out at Tasmanian tactics as their Pura Cup clash ended in a disappointing rain-marred draw today.

The Tigers picked up two first innings points courtesy of declaring at 4-402 on day three to edge ahead of Queensland's first innings 8(dec)-400.

Today the Bulls were bowled out in their second innings for 322 effectively ending the contest with Tasmania needing an impossible 321 off 35 overs for outright victory.

The match was called off at 4.25pm (AEDT) because of rain just five overs into the run chase with Tasmania 1-8.

Tasmania are now second on the Pura Cup ladder with 22 points with Queensland third on 16 points but Maher said the Tigers seemed to be chasing the two points, not six.

"I showed my hand on day one by declaring at eight for 400," he said.

"Tasmania decided to bat past us to get 402, that has happened forever and a day down here.

"They always come to get two points or they seem to be playing to get two points. We are not a charity.

"When he (Tigers skipper Dan Marsh) passed us at 4-402, if he wanted to win the game that bad why wouldn't he get a lead of 200 and then try and bowl us out? It is disappointing in that regard for me.

"Ideally you want to get six points, you want to host the final, not just make it."

But Marsh hit back saying he wasn't happy with the drawn result himself and he did not believe Queensland's first innings declaration was particularly generous.

"We would have liked to get six (points), but unfortunately things didn't go that way," he said.

"Obviously we wanted to get as many wickets as we could and we did well to get 4-90 and then they shut up shop a little bit, especially this morning they weren't very positive at all.

"Once we saw how they were playing in the first session, it was always going to be tough to get a result."

On a more positive note, Maher singled out newcomer Craig Philipson for praise.

Philipson posted 101 not out today on his first-class debut in 300 minutes off 232 balls with 13 fours, and was the last left standing for the Bulls.

James Hopes also racked up a century before being caught at point by Scott Mason off Gerard Denton for 111.

Andrew Downton was the main wicket taker for the Tigers snaring 4-59 off 18.4 overs.

Tasmanian middle-order batsman Michael Dighton was named man of the match for his top-scoring 127 not out in the first innings.

[The Prototype]

If Dan Marsh had of batted on and got 200 lead, then there is no saying that Tasmania would of bowled out Queensland anyway. By the last day (if Queensland was still batting) they would of aimed for a draw anyway, so really, it would probably of ended in a draw anyway.