Draw Keeps Bulls Hopes Alive

Cellar dwellers Western Australia assembled their most complete performance of the Shield season against an under-manned Queensland side, falling four wickets short of what seemed a certain Round 8 victory as rain washed out the final day at Albion.

Sam Fanning was the backbone of both Western Australian innings, compiling 62 and 87 to bat the Bulls into submission while debutant Albert Esterhuysen and experienced campaigners Joel Paris and Cameron Gannon inflicted damage with the ball across three days shrouded in overcast skies.

It was a familiar story for the Bulls; no batsman made over 33 with the bat and wickets fell at pivotal junctures throughout the match. On the upside, young paceman Jem Ryan continued his impressive foray into first class cricket, taking four for the match, 28-year-old Steve McGiffin made a useful first class debut while first season quick Sam Skelly looked tremendous in parts without reward.

Day by Day

Day 1

An inspired bowling performance from the injury-ravaged Bulls highlighted a balanced contest on Day 1.

Western Australia won the toss and chose to bat, welcoming back nationally contracted players Josh Inglis and Cooper Connolly and blooding exciting fast bowler Albert Esterhuyzen.

A lack of runs across the board has troubled Western Australia’s top order this season, and the first hour saw elder statesmen Cameron Bancroft and Sam Whiteman back in the sheds.

In just his third match, Jem Ryan was immense before lunch, compiling five consecutive maidens and Bancroft’s scalp in a spell of 1-6 (7). Allrounder Steve McGiffin, making his debut after Hayden Kerr and Lachie Hearne were ruled out at the last minute, had Hilton Cartwright caught behind for his maiden first class wicket.

 Western Australia went to the lunch break 3/63 with opener Sam Fanning staunch on 22 and Josh Inglis on 3.

Inglis, playing his first game after Australia’s ill-famed T20 World Cup campaign, went into full limited-overs mode to put pressure back on the Bulls, racing to 24 off 20. However, the keeper left his shot-selection back in Galle, nicking behind an attempted reverse scoop for 32 (33).

At 4/126, Inglis’ wicket may go down as one of the more puzzling first morning dismissals in recent Shield memory. His departure sparked a collapse of 4-56, putting the hosts in a dominant position.

Cooper Connolly followed in Inglis’ attacking mind-set, but part-timer Matt Renshaw was thrown the ball and promptly burgled Connolly’s wicket courtesy of an overly casual spar to first slip.

Sam Fanning stood in the way of Queensland and a first innings rout, scrounging 62 across a session and a half with dogged defence, before the opener fell to Ryan on the stroke of Tea.

The pitch showed signs of extra bounce for the spinners, with Mitch Swepson cleaning up the tail and bringing an end to the first innings at 210.

However Cameron Gannon made important in-roads against his former side in the last hour, with Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne both strangled down the leg-side in a bizarre passage of play. Stumps were drawn with the Bulls 3/37, Matt Renshaw still at the crease and looming as the linchpin of the Bulls innings.

Day 2

South African born debutant Albert Esterhuysen announced himself on Day 2 with a hostile spell of fast bowling that swung the game in Western Australia’s favour. They never looked back from there.

The towering Esterhuysen removed Matt Renshaw, the form batsman of the competition with an average of 70, in the first half hour and worked over Jimmy Peirson in the space of three balls as the Bulls slumped to 7/96.

Jem Ryan showed his ability with the bat, adding respectability to the total with a joint innings-high 33 that featured the only maximum of the match. McGiffin (33), Swepson (22) and Ryan reduced the deficit to 37 with a handy partnership that foretold of runs to come, but it was WA’s rookie seamer who returned to mop up the tail.

Esterhuysen, born in Pretoria and relocating with his family to Australia as a youngster, finished with 4-37 (13), benefiting from Paris, Gannon and off-spinner Corey Rocchiccioli’s control at the other end.

A lean silhouette with a lively jaunt to the crease, Rocchiccioli generated more shouts than C’s in his name in a suffocating spell of 2/3 (6).

Queensland finished on 173, leaving Western Australia to face a tricky 23 minutes before tea. Fanning and Bancroft not only survived but batted untroubled for the remaining three hours to put the Warriors in a completely dominant position and cap off a perfect day.

WA reached stumps 0/132 (43), with Fanning staring down a maiden ton and Bancroft a boundary away from his fourth half century of the season.

Day 3

After 43 wicket-less overs on Day 2, the floodgates opened for the Bulls on the morning of Day 3.

Debutant McGiffin spearheaded a surprise comeback, taking two scalps and effecting a runout in a WA collapse of 5/57 before lunch. Sam Fanning was especially disappointed, breaking concentration for a split second only to watch his hopes of a century evaporate in the hands of Jimmy Peirson.

After a 90-minute rain delay, skipper Labuschagne broke through with the immediate triple strike (including the pole of Bancroft for 72) to set up a chase of 267.

With dark clouds building, the floodlights were in full effect as Joel Paris and Cameron Gannon ended Queensland’s bid for an unlikely win.

Gannon was the chief destroyer, claiming Burdon at first slip and Khawaja LBW while Paris removed Renshaw and Labuschagne to decimate Queensland’s famed top order in 12 overs.

Relief arrived in a soupy rain-front that curtailed play an hour early and continued through the night. Queensland were on the brink at 6/44, but rain washed away any chance of a result leaving Western Australia tantalising close to victory.

Both teams shared the points but the Bulls will now need to rely on Victoria beating South Australia and an away win against Tasmania to make the final against Victoria.

Talking Points

Pretorian Express Makes his Mark on Red Ball Cricket

Western Australia has unearthed a serious talent in South African born debutant, Albert Esterhuysen. The seamer, who counts Morne Morkel as his role model, was the pick of the bowlers with four wickets in the first innings. He possesses a quick yorker and a heavy stock ball, hurrying the batsman on every occasion. Another feature is his high front leg, studs towards the facing batsman, before he hurls it down at considerable speed. Esterhuysen’s maiden wicket was the most important of Day 2; Matt Renshaw caught at second slip for 31. The Bulls went from 3-73 to 5-75 thanks to the first gamer. With a young cartel boasting the talents of Jhye Richardson, Mahli Beardmen and Lance Morris, Albert Esterhuysen is another Western Australian name with a bright future.

Marnus’ First-Class Personal Best

Though an unremarkable game with the bat for the Bulls skipper, Labuschagne still gave the Bulls a sniff with some medium pace magic on Day 3. He ended Cameron Bancroft’s 208-ball stay with the ball of the match, jagging the Kookaburra from fifth stump to thud into the opener’s pads and ricochet onto leg stump. Paris, Rocchiccioli and Couch fell in the same spell, gifting Labuschagne his best first-class figures of 4-22 (12).

History Made as Bulls Use New Injury Sub Rule for the First Time

Jack Wildermuth was tasked with leading Queensland’s less experienced bowling lineup (Jem Ryan, Sam Skelly and Steve McGiffin came in with a combined three matches between them) Wildermuth took 2-16 (10) before going down with a quad complaint, and despite batting in the second innings, was replaced by Tom Straker for the remainder of the game. Straker took 2/48 (20.4) in the second innings and finished 0* (17) as the Bulls limped towards the draw.

Sam Fanning Shows Promise with Twin Fifties

After 15 first class games with an average of 26.19 and a highest score of 99, Fanning has had an underwhelming start to his first-class career. However, this week showed that WA should persist with him up the top of the order with scores of 62 and 87 on an uncertain deck highlighting his appetite for attritional batting. A left-hander in the mould of Sam Whiteman, Fanning swept well off the spinner and cashed in on the best batting conditions of the match to put together an impressive body of work. However, that maiden century is still elusive and is the next step if he wants to cement his place in the side.

 Ganno the Spinner

With light fading and fast bowling outlawed, Cameron Gannon rolled out some offies as Western Australia pushed for a result. After a career spanning 16 years and 13,000 deliveries over 125 km/h, the 37-year-old serving up tweakers is another reminder that nothing is certain in cricket.

The Bulls will be banking on that when they attempt to achieve the improbable next week.