Australia

Green helps WA to Shield triumph as Qld, Victoria also post wins



Cameron Green has done his chances of selection in the men’s Ashes series no harm, having played a key role in Western Australia’s six-wicket Sheffield Shield victory over South Australia.

In another Sheffield Shield match concluding on Saturday, spinner Matt Kuhnemann starred with a 10-wicket match haul as Queensland completed a 96-run win over Tasmania in Townsville.

Meanwhile, Victoria secured a 204-run triumph over NSW at Sydney’s Drummoyne Oval in the third Shield match played this week.

In Perth, Green added an unbeaten 38 with the bat to his 61 from earlier in the match, as Western Australia successfully chased down a victory target of 121 at the WACA ground.

The Test all-rounder has scored 227 runs at an average of 45.40 from six innings so far in the Sheffield Shield season.

He played all four Tests for Australia against India last summer, after making his debut in the opening match of the series in Adelaide.

Green’s Test teammate Marnus Labuschagne showed his leg spin could come in handy in the Ashes, having claimed a wicket in Tasmania’s second innings.

Labuschagne had Caleb Jewell trapped LBW for 90, with the Tasmania opener having led a spirited fightback in the visitors’ chase of 438 for victory.

The key wicket complemented Labuschagne’s innings of 136 and 60 (not out) with the bat.

Kuhnemann — having snared a career-best 5-60 in Tasmania’s first innings — finished with match figures of 10-167 after taking 5-107 in the second innings.

The left-armed tweaker removed Charlie Wakim (5), before sparking a collapse of 4-38 with the scalps of Jake Doran (47), captain Beau Webster (36), Tom Andrews (10) and Lawrence Neil-Smith (13).

Tasmania was all out for 341.

Harris helps Victorians to big win

Marcus Harris’s magic touch continued in Sydney, when the Test opener snaffled a one-handed catch to help Victoria beat NSW.

The hosts — set a victory target of 339 late on day three — resumed at 1-33 on Saturday morning, but were bowled out for 134.

Harris held catches to dismiss Matthew Gilkes (20) and Sean Abbott (16) on Saturday, with the former a sensationally sharp effort at gully.

His efforts in the field came a day after he made a well-crafted 137 in Victoria’s second innings.

“In terms of his (Harris’s) batting, he’s picked up where he left off last season for Victoria,” Harris’s captain Peter Handscomb said.

“He’s in red-hot form. It’s great for him to come out here and do this in the first game.

“Especially with the Ashes coming up, he can take a lot of confidence going into that.”

Test batter Will Pucovski — who sat out the match against NSW because of concussion — is likely to return next week for Victoria when it again plays NSW.

The match will be contested at the MCG, beginning on Friday.

“I’m sure all the right protocols are happening [with Pucovski] and when he’s ready to go, he’ll be out there,” Handscomb said.

ABC/AAP



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