Doggett has Marnus's measure again in "weird" reunion

Facing some formerly friendly fire on a pitch significantly less hospitable than those of the nearby Karen Rolton Oval, Queensland's Test-strength batting line-up faltered against ex-Bulls teammate Brendan Doggett armed with the new-ball for South Australia.

In his red-ball debut for his new home state, Doggett fired out Ashes aspirants Joe Burns and Marnus Labuschagne (for the second time in three days) as the reigning Marsh Sheffield Shield champions were shot out for 152 in less than 60 overs.

The Redbacks then took charge of the game in the final session and will resume tomorrow at 2-89 after their new-look bowling attack was supplemented by old hand Daniel Worrall who claimed 4-49 including a dominant pre-tea spell.

Having dismissed Labuschagne with the second ball he bowled in Wednesday's one-dayer, when the Australia number three top-edged a bouncer, Doggett struck with the third delivery at his former teammate today in altogether different fashion.

SA's new speedster focused his attack on Labuschagne's stumps and, after the world's fourth-ranked Test batter defended the first allowed the second to pass by, he was struck on the knee roll while deep in his crease in front of middle and off stumps and was palpably lbw.

Doggett later laughingly claimed he "always" got the better of duels with Labuschagne in the nets during his four-year tenure with the Bulls, but conceded it was "really weird" playing against a group of former teammates who also remain close friends.

 

"It doesn't feel real to be honest," Doggett said this evening having finished with 3-25 after receiving his SA cap in front of his partner Jacqueline, as well as his dad and brother who made the trip from Queensland on Thursday evening.

"I've spent so many years with these boys in the nets and playing with them, it feels like one of those trial games or an inter-club game for me.

"But it's good, there's a lot of passion there … I definitely want to beat them or get one over them.

"I'll definitely take getting Marnus out twice, it's a good feat.

Image Id: A7A2F8151C624477A73EB970C4B7EC88 Image Caption: Brendan Doggett receives his South Australia baggy red before play // Getty

"I'm not sure if it's inside intel, or just getting lucky.

"But obviously Marn is an unbelievable batsman and I'll just take it while I can get it, and no doubt he's got a lot of runs just around the corner."

In dismantling Queensland, the SA bowlers enjoyed their most destructive first day at Adelaide Oval since they knocked over Tasmania for 98 five years ago, the season in which the Redbacks contested consecutive Shield finals before falling to the foot of the ladder.

Among the seven single-figure scores Tasmania recorded that day was captain George Bailey, who was a studious onlooker today in his new role as chair of selectors for the Australia men's team.

After yesterday's news of Test opening prospect Will Pucovski's latest concussion, Bailey might have been quietly pleased to see Burns top-score (with 48) after the Bulls were sent in on a pitch tinged with green after around 30mm of overnight rain in Adelaide.

Not that Burns is publicly contemplating a Test recall.

"This time of year there is always a lot of talk around different selections and whatnot, but I have always said, we play so much cricket as domestic players that you don't have time to think or to look too far ahead," he said, pointedly noting the Pucovski news had "not at all" altered his thinking.

"We're always training, we're always playing, and the game is very hard as it without making it harder for yourself."

While there was not extravagant new-ball movement, the surface exhibited looping "tennis ball" bounce that made timing difficult to find.

But Burns grew in surety after a couple of early miscues, and pounced on anything marginally short as well as unfurling a couple of drives that would have brought boundaries on a less lush outfield.

As Queensland reached 0-29 after the first hour, the hosts could have been excused for thinking they had squandered their decision to bowl first, especially after another ex-Queenslander Nathan McSweeney missed a tough low chance at second slip from opener Bryce Street in the fourth over.

But the day changed complexion markedly soon after that drinks break when another of the Redbacks' intestate recruits, ex-New South Wales all-rounder Nathan McAndrew, lured Street into a false stroke when on 22.

Doggett then pinned Labuschagne on the crease to trigger a top-order collapse in which the reigning Shield champions lost 7-54 in less than 30 overs.

It was Doggett who began the post-lunch lunch procession when he speared several in-swingers into Burns who negotiated the first couple but edged the third to keeper Alex Carey.

It continued a frustrating run of unrealised starts for the deposed Australia opener who, since plundering 171 in his first Shield knock after losing his Test place, has posted first-class scores of 20, 34, 15, 20, 26 and today's 48.

"Last year was very frustrating," Burns said of his recent inability to convert starts.

"I made 170 in the first Shield game back after the Test series, then I think we had two wash-outs without batting and you end up having nine innings for the season and you know you're batting well, you just want some opportunities to show it.

"And then you get a chance like today after lunch and an opportunity to go on and get a big score, it's incredibly frustrating because I feel like I am batting well.

"I just need some more innings.

"I got caught slogging at Karen Rolton Oval (against Tasmania last weekend).

"Very different (conditions) today, but it's great just to be at Test venues, it's proper cricket, it feels like a proper contest.

"I think I speak for everyone when I'm sick and tired of playing at these out-grounds that are just crap wickets, so it's nice to come here and have a good contest between bat and ball."

Soon after Burns' dismissal, McAndrew accounted for Khawaja who drove airily with feet planted only to edge to second slip.

Then Worrall began his decisive eight-over spell before tea that netted him 4-18 having toiled without luck for a solitary wicket in the season-opening Shield fixture against WA.

The variety in Worrall's underscored his mastery of the conditions.

A hooping in-swinger to left-hander Matthew Renshaw was adjudged to be hitting the top of leg stump, before he pinned Jack Wildermuth with a sandshoe crusher, had James Bazley top-edging a miscued pull to slip and finally claimed Jimmy Peirson with a ball that snorted from back of a length.

But perhaps even more impressive than Worrall's bag of tricks was the discipline of an SA attack that took until the final match of the 2020-21 Shield season before being able to claim all 10 opposition wickets in a single innings.

In 27 overs sent down either side of lunch, to a batting line-up featuring four Test-capped top-order batters, the Redbacks bowlers did not concede a boundary and it was only the introduction of leg spinner Lloyd Pope shortly before tea that saw Queensland's batters receive any freebies.

With Michael Neser absent, Queensland's bowling stocks were not quite so potent and when Steketee left the field briefly in the final hour they turned to Labuschagne for a couple of overs of enthusiastic (but unsuccessful) medium pace.

SA had stumbled early in their reply, with round-one century maker Jake Carder – elevated to open in the absence of Jake Weatherald who suffered recurrence of a foot injury during this week's Marsh One Day Cup game – playing-on in Mark Steketee's first over.

McSweeney, elevated to number three in his SA debut, fell to the first ball of the final hour when he edged to slip for 22, but Hunt and Head saw the recent Shield cellar-dweller safely through to stumps.