Tasmania bowled out for 237 after Stanlake picked up a career-best 4 for 24
Queensland 6 for 238 (Khawaja 93, Ellis 3-39) defeated Tasmania 237 (Silk 77, Stanlake 4-24) by four wickets
A blistering Billy Stanlake spell and another Usman Khawaja masterclass guided Queensland to a four-wicket Marsh Cup win over Tasmania at Bellerive Oval in Hobart.
Stanlake took a career-best 4 for 24 ripping through Tasmania’s top four with extreme pace and bounce while Khawaja controlled the chase superbly with a classy 93, following on from his fourth-innings century in the Sheffield Shield clash on Saturday.
Stanlake set the game up after Queensland won the toss. He claimed all four wickets with short balls as Tim Paine, Caleb Jewell, and Mac Wright struggled to control hook and pull shots while Jake Doran gloved one through the keeper. When Marnus Labuschagne ran out Tom Andrews with a direct hit, the Tigers had slumped to 7 for 143 with 17.5 overs left in the innings.
But Jordan Silk came to the rescue continuing the superb form he showed in the BBL. He made 77 from 88 balls to hold the innings together. He put on 53 with Nathan Ellis who contributed 21. Jackson Bird then clubbed 27 from 25 balls to lift the total up to 237. Matt Kuhnemann took 3 for 47 for the Bulls, including the key wicket of Silk.
Khawaja then took charge in the chase. He put on a 53-run opening stand with Sam Heazlett and an 87-run stand with Joe Burns to break the back of the chase. Nathan Ellis returned for the Tigers to cause a few heart murmurs in the Queensland camp. He knocked over Burns and Khawaja in consecutive overs. But Jimmy Peirson steered the visitors home with 14 balls to spare.
Alex Malcolm is a freelance writer based in Melbourne
Source: ESPN Crickinfo