Bushrangers pull off miracle win
Sat, 7 November 2009
Victoria has scored one of its greatest limited-overs victories after pulling off the highest run chase in its history against Tasmania in a Ford Ranger Cup game at the MCG on Saturday night. After the Bushrangers' second-string bowling attack - minus seven front-line members - had been mauled by a batsman who had been averaging just 7.2 in limited-overs cricket in opening batsmen Rhett Lockyear, the Vics found an unlikely hero of their own in 22-year-old Aaron Finch. Finch, playing just his eighth one-day match for Victoria, scored a magnificent 87 not out as the Bushrangers somehow chased down Tasmania's total of 7-300 with four balls to spare - despite at one stage slumping to 5-149 in the 29th over. He brought up the win in style with a huge six over mid-on off Brett Geeves. It was Victoria's highest run chase ever, surpassing the previous best of 2-296 set against New South Wales in Canberra three seasons ago. Until the last 10 overs of the Bushrangers' innings - when the home side needed 85 runs to win - Tasmania appeared to have the game won. Lockyear, who only came into the side at the last minute after star all-rounder Luke Butterworth was ruled out with a buttock injury, had earlier feasted on the Bushrangers' depleted attack. The 26-year-old, a star of Tasmania's Twenty20 campaign last summer when he was named 12th man in the domestic Twenty20 team of the year but who has struggled to convert that form into the 50 over game, scored a magnificent 111 off just 98 balls to make a mockery of his previous batting average in the 50-over game of just 7.2 and a previous highest score of 20. The Bushrangers' attack was minus skipper Cameron White along with fellow spinner Jon Holland, star all-rounder Andrew McDonald and quick Clint McKay, who are all in India with the national team, while pace trio Peter Siddle, Damien Wright and Dirk Nannes were all sidelined through injury. Lockyear received great support from skipper George Bailey with the pair sharing in a 138-run partnership for the third wicket off just 158 balls with Lockyear bringing up his first domestic one-day century by the 30th over. Bailey chipped in with 63 and when Travis Birt's late cameo yielded 66 off just 54 balls, the Vics were looking at a required run rate of more than six an over. However the home side got off to a flier in reply when openers Chris Rogers and Rob Quiney put on 50 in the first eight overs before the momentum of the game changed in the 10th over when Rogers was given out caught behind for 18 off the bowling of Jason Krejza despite television replays appearing to suggest the ball only hit his pad. Quiney followed soon after and when acting captain David Hussey and star batsman Brad Hodge departed, the Vics appeared headed for certain defeat as they limped to 4-126 at the halfway mark of their innings. But no-one told Finch, a hard-hitting middle-order batsman from Colac in Victoria's western district who was playing just his eighth one-day game for the Bushrangers. Finch's previous highest score for the Vics in this form of the game was just 33 while his average was just 16.33 but he belied those numbers with an innings of great maturity. With keeper Matthew Wade (30) providing great support, the pair put on 75 in 72 balls for the sixth wicket to revive the Vics' chances before all-rounder John Hastings completed the miraculous comeback with a superb 41 not out off just 28 balls. Hastings and Finch combined for an unbroken stand of 77 off just 51 balls to maintain the Bushrangers' unbeaten start to their 50-over campaign this season as the team looks to reach the Ford Ranger Cup final for the fourth straight season. Tasmania innings Lockyear c Quiney b McGain 111 (98) Dighton b Pattinson 9 (10) Cowan c Hussey b Harwood 0 (3) Bailey lbw Harwood 63 (101) Birt b Hastings 66 (54) Faulkner c Wade b Pattinson 1 (4) Krejza b Harwood 8 (13) Drew not out 10 (7) Geeves not out 17 (11) Extras: 15 (5lb, 9w, 1nb) Total: 300 (7 wickets; 50 overs) FOW: 1-26, 2-29, 3-167, 4-225, 5-226, 6-259, 7-269 Bowling Harwood 10 - 0 - 68 - 3 (5w) Pattinson 9 - 0 - 57 - 2 (2w) Hastings 10 - 0 - 53 - 1 (1w) McGain 10- 1- 49 - 1 Hussey 4 - 0 - 24 - 0 (1w) Hodge 5 - 0 - 30 - 0 (1nb) Quiney 2 - 0 - 14 - 0 Victoria innings Quiney c Birt b Drew 40 (43) Rogers c Jones b Krejza 18 (28) Hodge c Birt b Krejza 42 (49) Hussey c Jones b Drew 8 (15) Finch not out 87 (87) Hill c Cowan b Doherty 15 Wade b Faulkner 30 (35) Hastings not out 41 (28) Extras: 20 (1b 8lb, 7w, 4nb) Total: 301 (6 wickets; 49.2 overs) FOW: 1-56, 2-76, 3-95, 4-126, 5-149, 6-224 Bowling Geeves 9.2 - 0 - 63 - 0 (3nb, 3w) Faulkner 10 - 0 - 60 - 1 (3w) Krejza 9 - 0 - 56 - 2 Drew 10 - 1 - 55 - 2 (1nb) Doherty 9 - 0 - 43 - 1 Dighton 2 - 0 - 15 - 0 (1w)
Paul Gough, Sportal
