Pura Cup Final: Queensland v Tasmania at Brisbane, 22-26 Mar 2002 CricInfo Live Report

Pura Cup Final: Queensland v Tasmania at Brisbane, 22-26 Mar 2002
John Polack

Queensland 2nd innings: Stumps - Day 2,
Tasmania 1st innings: Lunch - Day 2, Tea - Day 2,
Live Reports from previous days

FIERY KASPROWICZ BURNS TIGERS
As warmer temperatures returned to Brisbane, Queensland applied a blowtorch to Tasmania and decisively took control of the 2001-02 Pura Cup Final between the teams here at the 'Gabba today.

Early ambitions of a second day recovery from the visitors proved short-lived as paceman Michael Kasprowicz (5/60) ripped through fragile batting to leave the Tasmanians in fearful trouble. They lie a distant 186 runs behind overall with Queensland at 0/25 at stumps in its second innings.

Tempers boiled back in the Tasmanian dressing room as at least one umpiring decision again proved a source of ire. In truth, though, fiery pace bowling from Kasprowicz and a combustible middle order proved by far the biggest causes of the Tigers' undoing.

The former Test fast bowler was at his destructive best in the closing session of the day, orchestrating Tasmania's downfall in a whirlwind burst that saw the visitors' last nine wickets come crashing down while just 78 runs were added.

He made life difficult for almost all of the batsmen, teaming with Ashley Noffke (3/15) and Andrew Symonds (2/20) the innings of most of the Tigers' players in their infancy.

It was a performance made all the more impressive by the fact that fellow new ball bowler Scott Brant joined the match's growing list of injury casualties when a side strain forced him from the field - and probably from the bowling crease for the remainder of the contest - after only four overs.

Jamie Cox (14) was caught expertly, low down, as he cut to the head of two gullies; Michael Dighton (29) edged to slip; Scott Kremerskothen (10) flashed another catch to gully; and Gerard Denton (0) fanned at a leg cutter to be caught behind the wicket. Also among Kasprowicz's victims was Michael Di Venuto (11) whose exit to a caught behind decision delivered by umpire Simon Taufel left the Tasmanians more than mildly annoyed.

"I'm exceptionally happy with that," said Kasprowicz of his team's performance.

"For us to bowl Tasmania out (for such a low score) in a Final is just a great effort.

"The ball swung around a little bit during most of the innings but essentially it's a good, even-paced wicket.

"We knew we just had to bowl good line, good length and keep all of the pressure on Tasmania."

In the end, Tasmania's first innings total of 141 was not a notable improvement on its scores of 100 and 82 in the much-discussed game between the teams on a much more capricious pitch earlier in the season.

According to Cox, it was a surrender.

"To lose eight wickets in a session is just unforgivable," he remarked of his team's capitulation during a disastrous 80-minute burst after tea.

"We didn't cope at all. We just surrendered our wickets.

"We've now got to be really good early tomorrow or the game's over. We can't afford to let them to get too far ahead; we've got one crack left."

Paceman Shane Jurgensen (5/68) had earlier bowled with great heart and discipline of his own to ignite a Queensland slide that saw six wickets tumble for 49 in the morning session. The tall right armer quickly removed dangerman Symonds (91) to cut short his 155-run, fifth wicket union with Queensland captain Stuart Law (69), offering the visitors a window of opportunity as they attempted to fight their way back into the match.

But the walls quickly came crashing in again around the Tigers.

In the end, their early revival was no more than a prelude to a demonstration of the reasons that Queensland is so hard to beat at this time of year and why it is now within a whisker of a fifth title in eight years.

Kasprowicz and company had turned the teams' denouement into something akin to a demolition.

TIGERS CONTINUE RECOVERY MISSION
Tasmania is continuing to make inroads while the sun shines on the second day of an engrossing Pura Cup Final here in Brisbane today. The second session of the day turned into a slog, and their progress was also derailed by another controversial lbw decision from umpire Steve Davis, but the Tigers have fought determinedly to reach a score of 2/73 by tea as they reply to Queensland's 302.

Having prised open a way back into the match with an inspired bowling performance in the morning session, the Tasmanians built on the platform through the early afternoon by dint of diligence and application.

Opener Scott Mason (17) best embodied this philosophy, drawing on all his reserves of concentration to weather a series of early appeals and construct a vigil that spanned 121 fiercely defiant minutes.

He lost fellow opener Jamie Cox (14) shortly after lunch - when Daniel Payne, at the head of two gullies, pressed forward and low to the ground to impressively intercept the effects of a slightly mistimed cut at Michael Kasprowicz (1/25). Further anxiety was caused by a number of full-blooded appeals against him, the closest arriving with his score at 5 when he padded up at Joe Dawes (0/13).

But he found a way to survive and then met a willing ally in the in-form Michael Dighton (25*). Though their task was made more difficult by the twin effects of tight bowling and packed off side fields, the pair proceeded to add a largely untroubled 38 runs for the second wicket.

Queensland's cause was also hampered when left arm paceman Scott Brant was forced to leave the field with an injury that it is likely to mitigate against any further appearances at the bowling crease over the next three days. Brant developed a side strain in a sharp spell before lunch, ultimately completing just four overs before returning to the rooms. He is expected to bat, if required, in the second innings but is not expected to rejoin his teammates in the field.

It was only when umpire Davis upheld a shout for lbw from the medium pace bowling of Andrew Symonds (1/7) 16 minutes before tea that the Bulls detected a way forward of their own. Television replays suggested that Symonds had overstepped the crease and that the ball had pitched outside the line of leg stump as he came over the wicket to the diminutive left hander, and Mason duly cut an unimpressed figure as he departed the arena.

TIGERS HIT BACK IN OUTSTANDING SESSION
After claiming just four wickets yesterday, Tasmania has hit back by taking six inside 90 minutes on the second day of an absorbing Pura Cup Final against Queensland here at the 'Gabba ground in Brisbane. By lunch, the Tigers had reached a mark of 0/9, capping a fine session that had earlier seen them terminate Queensland's first innings at a total of 302.

Andrew Symonds (91), the Tigers' main nemesis yesterday, was removed by as early as the end of the day's first over, playing all around the line of a delivery from Shane Jurgensen (5/68) to be bowled. Jurgensen troubled Symonds early in his stay yesterday and gave him little chance to settle with comfort today either, ultimately defeating him with a ball that tailed in, clipped the pad and tilted back off stump.

Stuart Law (69), the other member of a crucial 155-run partnership for the fifth wicket, was the next to depart. He was drawn into driving at an outswinger from David Saker (1/68), hitting firmly off an outside edge toward Damien Wright in the gully. Wright was forced to work and low and hard to his left, and damaged his left hand in the process, but was rightfully exultant upon claiming the catch.

Another important blow - capping the third five-wicket haul in successive innings for Jurgensen - was landed when Wade Seccombe (1) edged off a defensive bat low to second slip.

And further joy awaited the Tigers when Michael Kasprowicz (2) wafted and thin edged a short, wide Gerard Denton (3/67) delivery, and Ashley Noffke (14) sent the ball looping high toward the immensity of blue sky above him off a top edged pull.

The Tasmanians' charge was resisted temporarily when number ten batsman Scott Brant (16*) unleashed a display of hitting as sparkling as the weather on another steamy day at the 'Gabba.

He showed little respect to any of the bowlers, repeatedly backing away to the leg side and attempting to club balls through and over the off side field. For good measure, he then joined the ranks of an elite club of players to have lofted the ball into the second tier of the ground's northern grandstand when he lathered a full, leg side ball from Wright (1/60) high, wide and handsomely over long on.

With Brant confined to the non-striker's end, Wright urgently set the seal on the innings when he had Joe Dawes (7) well caught at head height at second slip by Michael Di Venuto.

Queensland nearly captured at least one wicket of its own when Michael Kasprowicz (0/3) launched two imploring lbw appeals against Scott Mason (0*) in the opening over of the reply. But both Mason and opening partner Jamie Cox (8*) safely negotiated the 16-minute baptism of fire that preceded lunch to close out a thoroughly impressive session from the visitors.