Sheffield Shield Round 8: Tasmania v Western Australia @ Hobart (Mon-Thu)

[Russian]

vs

Bellerive Oval, Hobart
10:30am Monday February 16-Thursday February 19​

Depending how the Bulls go in their run chase, this game could be for second spot with two rounds to play. Both teams are currently 4 points behind the Queenslanders and two ahead of the Blues who haven't started well in their game.

While the visitors have swung the axe again, Tassie have recalled two senior players they'd already axed earlier in the season - Michael Dighton and Travis Birt. Alex Doolan drops out after debuting in Newcastle, with Jonathan Wells joining him despite making 85 in the second innings. Strange.

WA have dumped Luke Ronchi for Michael Johnson, with Craig Simmons also making way for another new opener - Luke Towers who made a century for the seconds last week. After being unable to see out of one eye for a month after Shane Harwood hit it, David Bandy made a century in his return for Scarborough and now finds himself back in the side filling the shoes of skipper Marcus North. Adam Voges will be captain but somebody else may have to toss the coin as I can't see a flight that gets him from Sydney to Hobart in time to get to Bellerive by 10am.

Tasmania XII:
Rhett Lockyear
Michael Dighton
Travis Birt
George Bailey
*Dan Marsh
+Tim Paine
Luke Butterworth
Jason Krejza
Brett Geeves
Gerard Denton
Chris Duval
Tim Macdonald
In:
Michael Dighton
Travis Birt
Chris Duval
Out:
Jonathan Wells
Alex Doolan

Western Australia XII:
Luke Towers (FC debut)
Marcus Stoinis
Wes Robinson
David Bandy
*Adam Voges
Luke Pomersbach
+Michael Johnson (FC debut)
Drew Porter
Steve Magoffin
Josh Mangan
Brett Dorey
Ben Edmondson
In:
Luke Towers
David Bandy
Michael Johnson
Josh Mangan
Out:
Craig Simmons (dropped)
Marcus North (Australia)
Luke Ronchi (dropped)

Weather:
Fine until showers arrive Wednesday night, temps around 20

Points Table:
34 Victoria
22 Queensland
18 Western Australia
18 Tasmania
16 New South Wales
8 South Australia
(All played 7 games)

Session Times
First session: 10:30am-12:30pm
Second session: 1:10-3:10pm
Third session: 3:30-5:30pm

Coverage:

- live from 8:30am (online)
Cricket Australia's scorecard and commentary or analysis (more likely to work than the first link but will crash your browser if you leave it up long enough)

Tickets:
Adults - $8
Children/Concession - $4
Family - $16
(Gates open 10am)

 

[kenrosewall]

Interesting decision to win the toss and field, but given our batting of late, maybe we need to take some confidence from the ball first.

Can't see the teams as cricket.com has crashed as usual (except the flash but that doesn't show the whole Tassie team), but Dighton and Birt are very lucky to be there given Wells has showed a bit and Doolan has only played the one game. Obviously the selectors know we have a sniff of making the final here and have gone for a bit of experience (which is fair enough given our batting lineup in the last game).

WA have made a good start so far in overcast sort of conditions after some overnight rain. 0/22

 

[Cousin Jed]

Neither Birt or Dighton are playing.

WA 2/50

 

[kenrosewall]

Will be interesting to see how Butterworth bowls today after his mixed fortunes on Saturday. He has bowled very well in this form of the game this year, and hopefully he can start making more consistent runs with the bat.

 

[kenrosewall]

WA 3/64

Tassie making good progress here with the visitors struggling to put any runs on the board. Great start to Butterworth's spell and so far Krejza has kept it tight.

 

[Miguel Sanchez]

4/67 at lunch

Wes Robinson on 22 and Adam "The Juggler" Voges yet to score.

Pomersbach continued his poor form, making a 13-ball duck before being stumped off Krejza.

EDIT: Now 5/67 as the Juggler goes first ball after lunch.

 

[aussie1st]

A very up and down season for Pomersbach ending failing to backup after his good season.

 

[Selective Retention]

Towers, Stoinis, Porter, Robinson, Johnson, Mangan, Wells, Lockyear, Doolan, Duval.

Almost an entire team of 'no name' players, even for someone that follows a bit of domestic cricket.

You have to question where Pomersbach is at when he gets stumped for a duck in a four day game.

 

[kenrosewall]

WA 6/97 off 50 overs RR 1.94 (including 16 extras)

Sounds like a borefest at Bellerive. The ball must be doing a fair bit as the batsman seem to be playing and missing or being wrapped on the pads a lot.

I feel a Tassie collapse coming on next though.

 

[Perty4]

WA 6/97 off 50 overs RR 1.94 (including 16 extras)

Sounds like a borefest at Bellerive. The ball must be doing a fair bit as the batsman seem to be playing and missing or being wrapped on the pads a lot.

I feel a Tassie collapse coming on next though.

I sure hope so. The Warriors entire season comes down to this game, and the efforets of its bowlers once again to prop up the batsmen, and defend a meagre total.

 

[Raging albino #29]

According to the 'The West' the pitch is very green. Which would explain why Tassie chose to bowl first.

 

[demon21]

All of Tas home shield games have been low scoring this year so if WA get 200thats an ok score.

 

[kenrosewall]

Scores at Bellerive so far this year:

SA 232 All Out
TAS 252 All Out
SA 200 All Out
TAS 7/184

NSW 172 All Out
TAS 127 All Out
NSW 173 All Out
TAS 7/221

QLD 230 All Out
TAS 214 All Out
QLD 93 All Out
TAS 4/111

WA 7/156*

As you say, scoring at Bellerive all year has been difficult and anything over 200 is OK. Tassie again struggling bowling to the tailend with too much short pitch bowling.

 

[kenrosewall]

Over 67.3: Duval to Robinson, no ball, inside edges onto his stumps but it's a no ball!

 

[CatManDo]

I don’t know much about Drew Porter (for WA), however from what I have read online he seems to be an all rounder? Can anyone comment?

Just seems a bit odd as if that is the case, then WA only have 3 specialist bowlers for this shield game…

 

[joffa_2]

I really see a butterworth as a potential Australian all rounder, his a good bowler, just needs to show a bit more application when he bats

 

[kenrosewall]

WA 189 All Out

Tassie will be pretty happy with that, however they face a tough little session tonight. Would be dissapointing if they lose anymore than 1 wicket before stumps and hopefully the batsman just put there heads down and don't worry too much about the runs just yet.

Drew Porter must be a bowling allrounder, sort of in the Brett Geeves mould perhaps.

Agree with your thoughts Joffa, as Butterworth has really impressed with the ball so far this year (excluding Saturday's ODD game). Hopefully he can make some runs in this innings.

 

[YOTC]

2009-02-16 16:56:05 Over 2.6: Magoffin to Doolan, no run, inswinger raps the pads...big appeal for lbw... not out...phew

Phew?? If I wanted bias cheering i'd be listening to sportfm!

 

[whichone]

Yeh Porter is a bowling all-rounder. Good with bat and ball in grade cricket but picked for WA based on his swing bowling ability.

 

[wce_all_da_way]

Porter, DN 4.0 4 0 1

Geez that's a fair first 4 overs.

 

[CAS79]

FGS tassie. Just once this year after rolling a side for very little I'd like us to take control of the game. Say Bailey to get a big ton Marsh, Paine and Butterworth to make runs as well some and the tail to wag.

Rather than just keeping the game alive to the end.

No one has scored a SS century yet this season and it is time to turn that around.

 

[kenrosewall]

Wouldn't hold your breath CAS79. Sounds like the pitch is still very lively, but with beautiful blue skies today will hopefully settle down a bit and offer the best batting conditions of the match today. Will be happy if we can lead by 80-100 after the 1st innings. One of Bailey or Marsh needs to make a ton.

 

[kenrosewall]

Tassie in massive strife now at 4/52

Both Wells and Doolan were bowled shouldering arms so the ball must be seaming/swinging a mile.

A lot of pressure on SOB and the lower order now

 

[sherb]

Usual rubbish from our batting order. Slumped to 5/53 and then 6/99 until we got a bit of a stand between Marsh and Krezja going - now 6/137.

The positive is that two of our best performed batsmen - Geeves and Denton - are still to come in.

Bailey - another failure, I reckon he should be dropped. Has massive talent and is totally wasting it (unless of course he is playing for the Prime Minister's XI). I don't care if he is V-C, he needs a rocket up his ****.

Butterworth yet again makes a start and then gets out. He has 284 f-c runs at just over 20 this season, yet has still not got a half-century to his name. He can't live off the Shield hundred forever and while he doesn't perform with the bat he has no rights to the title of all-rounder (despite pulling a one-day ton out of the hat).

FFS, now Krezja is out. We bowl a side out for 189 and it looks like we can't even overtake that. 7/138.

 

[Cousin Jed]

I remember the days of needing 3 sporting declarations to get a result in Hobart.