Tigers squander home Shield final with upset SA loss

Updated: Tasmania will have to travel to Perth in their bid to win a fourth Marsh Sheffield Shield title after relinquishing top spot to Western Australia as another disastrous batting collapse on day three consigned them to an upset 134-run loss to South Australia.

Chasing 324 in their second innings to lock up top spot and host this season's decider, the Redbacks three-pronged pace attack of Jordan Buckingham (5-65), Brendan Doggett (3-73) and Nathan McAndrew (2-42) ripped through the Tigers' top order to leave them reeling at 5-61.

Not even a fighting half-century from talisman Beau Webster could save the hosts as they fell to 189 all out at Blundstone Arena halfway through the second session.

The final round loss saw Tasmania (47.36) slip to second place in the season standings after they were leapfrogged by WA (47.93), who secured hosting rights of the final with a 138-run win over Victoria late on day three in Melbourne.

Team	Matches played M	Wins W	Losses L	Drawn D	No results N/R	Deductions Ded.	Batting Bonus Bat	Bowling Bonus Bowl	Total points PTS
1 Western Australia Men WA	10	5	2	3	0	0	5.53	9.4	47.93
2 Tasmanian Tigers Men TAS	10	5	2	3	0	0	6.06	8.3	47.36
3 NSW Men NSW	10	4	3	3	0	0	6.31	9	42.31
4 Victoria Men VIC	10	4	4	2	0	0	4.74	8.2	38.94
5 South Australia Men SA	10	3	6	1	0	0	5.19	9.3	33.49
6 Queensland Bulls QLD	10	2	6	2	0	0	3.54	8.3	25.84

Legend

M: Matches played

W: Wins

L: Losses

D: Drawn

N/R: No results

Ded.: Deductions

Bat: Batting Bonus

Bowl: Bowling Bonus

PTS: Total points

WA gained 7.44 points for the match after bowling the Vics out for 130 chasing 269 in the second innings, enough to knock Tasmania out of top spot after the Tigers only managed one first innings bowling bonus point against South Australia.

The slip-up means Tasmania will face the two-time reigning champions at their WACA Ground fortress from March 21-15, where they have only lost twice in the last three seasons.

Despite the loss, Tigers captain Jordan Silk said he was "immensely proud" of his side to have qualified for the final after finishing in fifth place last season.

"We would have travelled anywhere to be part of the Shield final and regardless of what happens at the Junction Oval this afternoon, I'm still immensely proud of what this group has been able to achieve this year," he said.

"There were probably a lot of question marks around our list going into it and to have done what we have, particularly well led by Beau Webster … it's the best (individual season) I've seen."

Tasmania secured their place in their first Shield decider since 2017-18 through beating Victoria in their penultimate round clash in Hobart. To host the final, they needed to either beat the Redbacks or secure 0.14 more first innings bonus points than WA in their match with Victoria.

With WA scoring 244 after being sent in, and both sides collecting 10 first innings wickets inside 100 overs, it left the Tigers needing to reach 258 at the 100-over mark of their first innings to secure enough batting bonus points to host the final.

But McAndrew – who has taken his wickets tally this season to a competition leading 48 (equal with NSW seamer Chris Tremain) – put paid to those hopes, bundling the Tigers out for 123 with a first-innings six-wicket haul.

Buckingham's late strike of Matthew Wade (who was out twice on day two without scoring) left the Tigers 1-8 overnight, and the 23-year-old quick returned on Wednesday with immediate success on his way to a fourth five-wicket return for the season.

That was after Caleb Jewell (11) hit back-to-back boundaries to open proceedings in Buckingham's opening over of the day before nicking Jake Lehmann at slip trying to repeat the dose off the third ball.

McAndrew removed nightwatch Gabe Bell lbw with his first ball of day three, while skipper Silk (14) had his off bail removed misjudging a leave off Doggett by the barest of margins.

And when Buckingham added another with Charlie Wakim (23) edging to slip, Tasmania had lost half their line-up with just 61 on the board.

Allrounder Webster (68) took his season runs tally past 900, providing brief optimism of a comeback to the Tigers faithful with a 60-run sixth-wicket stand with Jake Doran (34).

But that was extinguished when he was the ninth to fall, caught-behind off Doggett as Tasmania lost their final five wickets for 68 runs, leaving their hopes of hosting the final resting with Victoria's batters.