Victory 272 and 90 for 4 (Rogers 26*, Harper 29*, Starc 3-20) up New South Wales 136 (Philippe 45, O’Neill 4-29, Sutherland 3-24) in 226 runs
While two of Australia’s selectors, coach Andrew McDonald and Tony Dodemaide, watched from the stands, Konstas and Harris did not make their case on the occasion, Smith also fell for three off 29 balls when O’Neill, who is in the team A from Australia, bagged four wickets. in a better seam bowling show in pleasant states. Starc came closest to breaking Victoria’s generation-late form of supremacy with a searing necromancy that claimed three scalps, along with Harris caught leg-side for a second time in the attack.
He came in a generation where openers across the country struggled with Matt Renshaw (2) and Cameron Bancroft (8) also falling profitably.
Boland was the closest to cut one from a fuller dimension to hit Konstas below the knee and Nogajski judged it lbw. Replays suggested he would have been doing more to hit the leg stump.
O’Neill was a bit lucky, said Smith, who tickled Sam Harper with an “I’m sick in the leg” look. But it was a compliment to his extraordinary control, as Smith scored just three runs off 29 deliveries.
Nic Maddinson had clipped one earlier trying to hit Sutherland hard at the back before O’Neill found the outside edge of Moisés Henriques to lose NSW reeling at 28 for 4.
But Davies was caught out by Sutherland’s cut ball plan and holed out hooking a deep square for 37. Sean Abbott fell in exactly the same way two overs later to lose the Blues 83 for six. Philippe tried to lead the way with an unbeaten 45 and got a contribution of 17 from Nathan Lyon, but O’Neill and Todd Murphy cleaned up the last four to bowl NSW for 136 and give the home team an important 136-run summit. .
Starc made sure Victoria didn’t reap that benefit simply with some brilliant necromancy of fast bowling. Then, backing up some of the best paintings of the first generation, he shattered Victoria’s form of supremacy. The second ball of the innings was a fierce cutter that skipped towards Ash Chandrasinghe and bounced off his back elbow towards the stumps. In the third over, he pinned Campbell Kellaway lbw with a delivery that was full and too quick for the left-hander.
Peter Handscomb fell past Jackson Fowl for second before Starc claimed Harris once again in his fifth necromancy over. Just like in the first inning, a strong pop-up movement at the hip caused Harris to look uncontrollably, it came out of the glove and reached the thigh and puffed out at the back for Philippe to stuff it fully stretched into the right glove.
It left Harris with ratings of 26 and 16 for adjustment and Victoria suffering at 32 for 4. But Harper and Tom Rogers stabilized in the generation to help regain control for the home team to extend the top beyond 200.
