Vics overcome Tigers
Wed, 27 January 2010
Tasmania has fallen agonisingly short in its pursuit of Victoria's mammoth total of 7-326 in the Ford Ranger Cup match in Hobart on Wednesday. Travis Birt's brutal knock of 97 of 77 deliveries took the home side to the brink of an improbable victory under lights at Bellerive Oval, with only some clever bowling at the death from the Bushrangers bowlers denying the Tigers. The home side chased valiantly to finish on 9-306 in their 50 overs, 20 runs short of the Bushrangers' total which was achieved thanks to a scintillating Brad Hodge innings of 139 off 136 deliveries. Hodge's 15th domestic one-day hundred was the second-highest by a Victorian and included 11 boundaries and three sixes. The nuggety No.3 was assisted by a more than handy contribution from stand-in skipper David Hussey who slammed 93 from 85 balls faced as the veteran pair added 183 runs for the third wicket to steer the Vics to a huge total. The Tiger run chase stuttered early as young quick James Pattinson (2-72) struck with the prized scalp of Tim Paine who was out caught at second slip by Andrew McDonald when driving expansively in the search for early runs. Michael Dighton then formed a solid partnership with Rhett Lockyear (26) before Hussey intervened with a magnificent juggling catch that sent a stunned Lockyear on his way. Dighton looked in sparkling touch in notching up his second half century of the season before he was undone by the crafty leg spin of Bryce McGain (1-45) for 63 off 53 deliveries. While the Bushrangers bowled steadily, they were poor in the field, with at least four chances going down to sit alongside Hussey's screamer. Just after the scheduled drinks break, The Tigers were dealt a severe blow when skipper Bailey needlessly turned for a second run that was never on and came up short against Pattinson's throw and was run out for 58. Birt then took over the senior role for the Tigers as he continued to rotate the strike as well as picking up the odd boundary to keep the home side in touch. Even when Ed Cowan fell (12) to Hussey, it was clear Paine and the newly-arrived Luke Butterworth were eyeing off the batting powerplay to begin hitting over the top. But after peeling off 10 runs at the start of a John Hastings (3-62) over, Butterworth (six) was caught by a diving Rob Quiney off the final delivery to seemingly put a dent in the Tiger hopes. But Birt wasn't about to fold that easily as he proceeded to smash 20 runs from the 46th over delivered by Pattinson to get the sparse crowd on its feet. Suddenly Tasmanian hopes soared with every Birt slog, but as the powerplay finished and the field spread Pattinson got his revenge as Birt found Blizzard at deep long off to snuff out all chances of a miraculous win. After Hussey won the toss and elected to bat, the Vics lost Matthew Wade for one in the third over to a slash off Geeves which flew straight to Xavier Doherty on the edge of the circle at backward point. From 1-9, the Bushrangers slumped to 2-23 when Aaron Finch (17) attempted to hook Denton but succeeded only in skying the ball to the busy Geeves at fine leg. Thereafter, Hodge and Hussey assumed total control, guiding the Vics to 100 in just 79 minutes from 116 deliveries. The highlight of Hodge's innings was successive sixes in the 41st over of the innings bowled by a hapless Geeves. Twice the 35-year-old, who showed no signs of the quad strain he sustained in last Saturday's final of the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash, picked up good-length deliveries on off stump and smashed them onto the pavilion roof at mid-on. Hodge had a 150 in his sights when he played on to Gerard Denton in the 45th over. Hussey - who clubbed nine boundaries and a six - was zeroing-in on a century of his own when, on 93, he dragged a slower ball from Michael Dighton onto his stumps. While others including Rob Quiney (17) and John Hastings (two) went down swinging, all-rounder McDonald was there at the end with an unbeaten 41 from 34 balls - which proved the difference between a very good Bushrangers tally and one that was impregnable.
