Pura Cup: New South Wales v Queensland at Sydney, 1-4 Mar 2002 CricInfo Live Report

Pura Cup: New South Wales v Queensland at Sydney, 1-4 Mar 2002
Claire Killeen

New South Wales 1st innings: Lunch - Day 3, Tea - Day 3, Stumps - Day 3,
Live Reports from previous days

HADDIN DEFIANT BUT BULLS NUDGE CLOSE TO FIRST INNINGS WIN
Queensland has moved closer to booking a berth in the Pura Cup Final after doing what New South Wales couldn't and triggering a batting collapse on the third day of the teams' match here in Sydney. With a sparkling maiden first-class century, Brad Haddin defied the Bulls late in the afternoon but not before the visitors had moved to within striking distance of claiming two crucial competition points.

At stumps, the Blues were at 8/398 and marooned a distant 130 runs away from the Bulls' mammoth tally of 528.

A brilliant partnership between openers Matthew Phelps (84) and Corey Richards (74), and then another between Haddin (102) and Michael Clarke (76), rallied the Blues from a low ebb.

But the effect of a disastrous 38-minute period in mid-afternoon (which saw the Blues surrender five wickets while just 22 runs were added) killed any remaining hopes of an appearance in this season's Pura Cup Final.

What paceman Michael Kasprowicz (2/88) started was quickly complemented by Nathan Hauritz (4/100) and Ashley Noffke as tight bowling, poor strokeplay and inept running between the wickets laid waste to the top and middle order.

After Phelps and Richards had forged a stand of 166 runs that proved easily the Blues' most successful opening partnership of the season - and the sixth highest in the state's history against Queensland - the latter set the tone for what was to come when he slashed at Kasprowicz and was excellently caught by Martin Love at a wide slip.

Phelps then miscued a drive at Hauritz to lob a catch to Noffke at mid on; veritable stumbling block Michael Bevan (0) proved anything but when he edged a Kasprowicz ball low to gully for a third-ball duck; and Mark Higgs (5) prodded a catch to short leg as he played off an inside edge at Hauritz.

The crash - which had occurred in concert with events at the start of an incident-packed Australian Formula One Grand Prix in Melbourne - was confirmed when captain Shane Lee (3) badly misjudged a potential single to Noffke at mid on and was comfortably run out by a direct hit.

Clarke was lucky not to play a Hauritz delivery into his stumps before he had scored and was desperately close to falling lbw to Kasprowicz. He was further inconvenienced by a sore toe on his left foot, a problem which ultimately caused him to call for a runner and to hit several of his shots in obvious pain.

But he still joined with Haddin in a rollicking 175-run stand for the sixth wicket that again helped to spare the Blues' blushes.

Haddin was superb, cracking 14 meaty boundaries in an innings that broke a spell of 12 unsuccessful attempts at translating half-centuries into three figures.

Yet it was still almost a metaphor for New South Wales' season that both fell to one too many attacking strokes late in the day - and just as the home team had looked to be working its way back into the contest for a second time.

Clarke fell to a miscued slog-sweep that resulted in a magnificent catch from Brendan Nash at square leg, while the wicketkeeper-batsman holed out at long on. Each succumbed to the off spin of Hauritz, whose reward for accurate rather than venomous bowling was the return of four wickets and career-best figures.

First innings points - which the Bulls would expect to gain early tomorrow - will give the visitors a six-point lead at the top of the competition table. With one round of matches remaining, only Western Australia and Tasmania remain any chance of catching them.

RUSH OF WICKETS INSPIRES BULLS
If he had been here, a certain TV commentator may have been moved to argue that things had been happening during the second session of play on the third day of the Pura Cup match between New South Wales and Queensland in Sydney. After two-and-a-half days of a near complete lack of movement in the wicket column on the scoreboard, batsmen perished with alarming regularity for the Blues to leave them poorly placed at 5/264 in reply to the visitors' mammoth tally of 528.

After Matthew Phelps (84) and Corey Richards (74) had forged a stand of 166 runs that proved easily the Blues' most successful opening partnership of the season - and the sixth highest in the state's history against Queensland - the gloss was summarily removed from their effort in brisk fashion.

Richards set the tone when he slashed at a delivery from fast bowler Michael Kasprowicz (2/60), and played off the top edge toward Martin Love, who snared a brilliant catch as the ball travelled to him at violent pace at a wide first slip.

The loss of that wicket suddenly disrupted the Blues' momentum but worse was to follow. Shortly afterward, Phelps drove at an off break from Nathan Hauritz (2/77) but mistimed the shot and lobbed a catch to Ashley Noffke at mid on.

Michael Bevan (0*), almost inevitably a stumbling block for the bowling team in these situations, posed the Bulls almost no bother at all. In a near-replica of his dismissal in the ING Cup Final seven days ago, he was drawn into driving at a full delivery - slanted across him by Kasprowicz - and played off a thick outside edge to Hauritz low down in the gully.

Hauritz was involved in the action again when Mark Higgs (5) prodded nervously at a flighted ball and played off an inside edge to Stuart Law at short leg.

By this stage, New South Wales had lost a remarkable 4/15 off 32 balls and were suddenly struggling to find an avenue through which to score runs. And, when captain Shane Lee (3) tried to find a way of redressing the balance with a quick single off Kasprowicz to mid on fieldsman Noffke, another disaster greeted them. Noffke's direct hit found Lee a long way short of his crease.

Mercifully for the New South Welshmen, there was a shift back their way when young tyros Brad Haddin (54*) and Michael Clarke (45*) joined to steady the ship with an enterprising, unbroken stand of 92 runs for the sixth wicket.

But their union was not without its dramas, either. Clarke went desperately close to playing a delivery from Hauritz back on to his stumps before he had scored and later survived an imploring lbw appeal as Kasprowicz defeated him with an inswinging yorker.

Clarke also appeared to injure his left foot; required attention from physiotherapist Pat Farhart after the Lee run out; and then called on Higgs to act as his runner. The 20-year-old moved gingerly around his crease and limped on and off strike in apparent pain at times.

NSW, requiring 378 to avoid the ignominy of following on, still needs another 98 runs to make sure of a Queensland second innings.

PHELPS, RICHARDS PROLONG SCG RUN-FEAST
New South Wales openers Matthew Phelps and Corey Richards are continuing to make solid inroads into Queensland's huge total of 4/528, guiding their team to a score of 0/137 by lunch on the third day of the teams' Pura Cup match in Sydney.

Phelps (70*) and Richards (65*) have both carved out half-centuries for themselves on the way to establishing the Blues' best opening partnership of the season. They form New South Wales' sixth opening pair of the summer, and have put the contributions of all of the previous five into the shade with a mixture of solid defence, well chosen attacking strokes, and the occasional close shave.

After a 45-minute delay for rain at the start of the day, each of the two right handers played impressively, fittingly raising their respective half-centuries shortly after the resumption with cracking shots to the boundary. Both are exuding an air of confidence, something which has been largely lacking in New South Wales' play over the previous two days.

Phelps, though, has also enjoyed his share of luck. In the midst of looking harried by the pace and accuracy of Ashley Noffke (0/37) in one sustained spell, the 29-year-old edged balls into and through the slips on a number of occasions.

And then Jimmy Maher - fielding at a wide third slip - returned the compliment offered to him earlier in the match when he dropped a chance as Phelps cut without conviction at Joe Dawes (0/40) and sent the ball flying to Maher's left at about neck height.

The Bulls maintained their pace assault for the majority of the abbreviated opening session, surprisingly opting to give outstanding young off spin bowler Nathan Hauritz (0/32) no more bowling than the last over before lunch.