HOBART, Nov 24 AAP - After more twists than a whodunnit, the Pura Cup match between NSW and Tasmania in Hobart is finely poised.

The Tigers, after being down and out shortly before lunch today, roared back through Damien Wright and Shane Jurgensen to rout the formidable Blues batting lineup for 86 and give itself a victory target of 256.

At stumps on day three, they were 3-98, needing a further 158, with Michael Di Venuto 44 and Dan Marsh 18.

Whatever the outcome, and the Tigers' fragile batting this season suggests they'll struggle to notch their first win, they've turned a one-sided match into a tense struggle as 18 wickets fell for 225 runs over a long and enthralling day on a sometimes spiteful Bellerive Oval wicket.

The Blues started the day in fine fettle as the Tasmanian lower order folded, the last five wickets adding only a further 41 runs in 75 minutes.

With Don Nash taking 6-48, the Tigers were all out for 224, a deficit of 169 runs.

NSW captain Simon Katich opted not to enforce the follow-on, a decision he must soon have wondered about as Jurgensen struck.

Jurgensen was lethal for Tasmania late last season, but so far this season has been less effective as he strove for extra pace and lost his immaculate control.

After talking with former fast bowling stalwart Mark Ridgway last night, he bowled a little fuller and in the Glenn McGrath corridor.

In four overs before lunch he accounted for the three dangerous Michaels - Slater, Bevan and Clarke - all for ducks.

After the break, he quickly dismissed Matthew Phelps before Wright took over, starting with Mark Waugh for three.

Following brief resistance from Katich (21) and wicketkeeper Brad Haddin (24), Wright scythed through the lower order.

The Blues limped past 84, their lowest score against Tasmania, before losing their last three wickets without addition to Wright's second, fifth and sixth balls of his 16th over.

Wright finished with a career best 6-39 while Jurgensen had 4-29 from 12 overs.

The pair was assisted by some fine catching, notably wicketkeeper Sean Clingeleffer's acrobatic legside effort to dismiss Bevan and Di Venuto's low second slip catch to end the brief stay of Waugh, who looked a shadow of his once peerless self.

The 256 target was always going to be a big challenge for Tasmania and it started badly, losing captain Jamie Cox, Michael Dighton, who's been its nearest to an in-form batsman, and Scott Mason cheaply to slump to 3-43.

But Di Venuto curbed his natural impetuosity in a 186 minute vigil and with the out-of-form Marsh also sticking doggedly, the Tigers crept nearer their mark without further loss.

They shouldn't have. In a final twist, leg spinner Stuart MacGill dished up a rank full toss in the last over of the day, Di Venuto momentarily forgot himself and whacked it hard and high to mid on, where substitute Corey Richards dropped what would have turned the game firmly back in the Blues' favour.

© 2002 AAP

This report does not necessarily represent the views of the Australian Cricket Board.