EXILED OPENER\u2019S GRIM RETURN AS HOPEFULS FAIL<\/p>\n
Nic Maddinson\u2019s first Sheffield Shield match since being exiled from Australia\u2019s Test team didn\u2019t go to plan.<\/p>\n
Having returned from South Africa, the NSW captain \u2013 tellingly batting at number four after being elevated to open for the national team \u2013 managed just two before edging Tasmanian quick Jackson Bird to slip.<\/p>\n
He wasn\u2019t the only Blue to fail, with 39-year old Bird, almost nine years on from the last of his nine Tests, taking four wickets in seaming conditions.<\/p>\n
In-form openers Ollie Davies and Sam Konstas failed to further press their cases for a Test call-up, edging Bird behind to wicketkeeper Jake Doran for 13 and 5 respectively.<\/p>\n
Kurtis Patterson also missed a chance to enhance his credentials for the Australian No.3 slot, caught behind off Bradley Hope for 14.<\/p>\n
Hope had earlier fallen heartbreakingly short of his third first-class century when he was caught behind off Blues quick Ben Dwarshuis for 99.<\/p>\n
His fall was part of an early day collapse from the Tigers, who started 5\/335 but slumped to 9\/396 before a quick 25 from Bird helped take the hosts to 427.<\/p>\n
After slumping to 3\/26 following Maddinson\u2019s dismissal, things improved for batting, with Lachlan Shaw and Ryan Hicks managing 40s to take the Blues to 8\/174 by stumps.<\/p>\n
![\"Nic](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/c23882d97efe5df68a53c91a9cfbf191.jpeg\")
Nic Maddinson failed on his Sheffield Shield return.Source: FOX SPORTS<\/p>\n
However, they are still well short of the Tigers\u2019 imposing total on a pitch offering far more for bowlers than it appeared on day one.<\/p>\n
Bird finished with an impressive 4\/39 from his 15 overs.<\/p>\n
WA DEFY REDBACKS FIGHT AS FORGOTTEN SPINNER DAZZLES<\/p>\n
South Australia\u2019s hopes of a remarkable comeback victory were quickly snuffed out by Western Australia on the final day of their clash at the Adelaide Oval.<\/p>\n
Going in at 1\/182 chasing 422, with Mackenzie Harvey unbeaten on 90 and Nathan McSweeney on 57, the reigning Sheffield Shield champions were more than a puncher\u2019s chance of completing the run chase.<\/p>\n
But Harvey was bowled without adding to his overnight total as Ashton Agar found sharp turn, with the forgotten Test spinner taking three key final-day wickets to lead the Warriors to a 105-run win.<\/p>\n
The result leaves WA atop the Sheffield Shield total, while the Redbacks suffered their second loss in a row.<\/p>\n
McSweeney also didn\u2019t last long, caught by Cameron Bancroft off emerging quick Kieran Elliott for 66, while the Redbacks collapsed late to go from 6\/295 to 316 all out.<\/p>\n
HOPEFUL\u2019S MAJOR STATEMENT AFTER TEST SQUAD TASTE<\/p>\n
Victorian wicketkeeper Sam Harper has continued his hot run of form to start the cricket season, making a fluent 63 on a topsy-turvy day at the Gabba against Queensland.<\/p>\n
Harper, who was called up to Australia\u2019s Test squad following a century for Australia A as injury cover for Josh Inglis, hit nine fours and six in an 89-ball knock to add 102 for the opening wicket with Marcus Harris.<\/p>\n
Having moved to open the batting for the Vics last season, Harper\u2019s glut of runs, made at a rapid pace, saw him emerge as a potential Test candidate, a rise rubber-stamped by his Australian squad appearance in South Africa.<\/p>\n
While he was sent home alongside Maddinson to take part in the ongoing Sheffield Shield round, his damaging knock keeps him alive in selectors\u2019 thoughts, with Marnus Labuschagne having failed once more at Newlands.<\/p>\n
Harris, meanwhile, made 56, while emerging talent Campbell Kellaway ground out 64 off 156 balls in a patient innings and all-rounder Fergus O\u2019Neill struck a late-day 52.<\/p>\n
But three single-figure scores in the middle order evened the day\u2019s honours, with Ollie Peake caught behind for a duck while Peter Handscomb did likewise off Cameron Gannon for just four.<\/p>\n
The Vics ended the day 9\/282 after being sent in by the Bulls, with veteran quick Cameron Gannon starring with 5\/60.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Nic Maddinson\u2019s Sheffield Shield return after being discarded from the Test squad didn\u2019t go to plan as NSW…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":947458,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[564],"tags":[64,63,740,85],"class_list":["post-947457","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cricket","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-cricket","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/947457","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=947457"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/947457\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/947458"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=947457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=947457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=947457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}