Queensland Make Four in a Row With Win Against South Australia
Marnus Labuschagne's unbeaten 73 and Michael Neser's 4 for 41 helped Queensland maintain the winning momentum and hand South Australia a five-wicket defeat in the Matador One-Day Cup at the WACA Ground in Perth on Sunday (October 9). With four wins in as many games, Queensland consolidated their spot at the top of the table, eight points clear of the second-placed Tasmania. South Australia, on the other hand, are second from bottom with two defeats and a tied game against Western Australia.
Neser ran through South Australia's middle order to keep them to a lowly 199 from their quota of 50 overs before the table-toppers chased down the 200-run target with more than 16 overs to spare.
Mark Steketee got the early breakthrough by dismissing wicketkeeper-opener Alex Carey for just 12 in the sixth over. Skipper Callum Ferguson, who top scored with 43, stitched a 64-run second-wicket partnership with the unbeaten opener Jake Weatherald to put their innings back on track.
Neser, however, had other plans. The South Africa-born pacer sent Callum Ferguson packing seven short of his half-century and then dismissed Tom Cooper for a duck, in the space of four deliveries. The 52-run fifth-wicket partnership between Jake Lehmann (35) and Tim Ludeman (25) put SA on the brink of 150-run mark. Neser broke the crucial stand yet again, putting an abrupt end to Lehmann Junior's knock on 35 when the team's score was 177. The tail could add only 22 more to the total to set Queensland a sub-par 200-run challenge.
Despite a convenient asking rate of four an over, Jimmy Perison (48) and Charlie Hemphrey (26) gave Queensland a flying start as the duo combined for a 79-run partnership in 10 overs. Kane Richardson put the brakes on by getting rid of both the free-scoring openers in his successive overs.
Joe Burns chipped in with 20 off 27 deliveries but it was Labuschagne who anchored the chase with a brisk unbeaten knock of 73. The 22-year-old rookie slammed nine boundaries in his 64-ball essay as Queensland romped home with five wickets and more than 16 overs in the bank.
Neser ran through South Australia's middle order to keep them to a lowly 199 from their quota of 50 overs before the table-toppers chased down the 200-run target with more than 16 overs to spare.
Mark Steketee got the early breakthrough by dismissing wicketkeeper-opener Alex Carey for just 12 in the sixth over. Skipper Callum Ferguson, who top scored with 43, stitched a 64-run second-wicket partnership with the unbeaten opener Jake Weatherald to put their innings back on track.
Neser, however, had other plans. The South Africa-born pacer sent Callum Ferguson packing seven short of his half-century and then dismissed Tom Cooper for a duck, in the space of four deliveries. The 52-run fifth-wicket partnership between Jake Lehmann (35) and Tim Ludeman (25) put SA on the brink of 150-run mark. Neser broke the crucial stand yet again, putting an abrupt end to Lehmann Junior's knock on 35 when the team's score was 177. The tail could add only 22 more to the total to set Queensland a sub-par 200-run challenge.
Despite a convenient asking rate of four an over, Jimmy Perison (48) and Charlie Hemphrey (26) gave Queensland a flying start as the duo combined for a 79-run partnership in 10 overs. Kane Richardson put the brakes on by getting rid of both the free-scoring openers in his successive overs.
Joe Burns chipped in with 20 off 27 deliveries but it was Labuschagne who anchored the chase with a brisk unbeaten knock of 73. The 22-year-old rookie slammed nine boundaries in his 64-ball essay as Queensland romped home with five wickets and more than 16 overs in the bank.
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