'Don't want to face him': Teen firebrand leads Bulls' fightback

He might be just 19 years old and playing in only his third first-class match, but Queensland quick Callum Vidler was scarcely an unknown quantity for South Australia when he took the new ball in the Sheffield Shield final.

The former Australia under-19 spearhead had caused heads to turn barely a week beforehand when he defied scorching 42C at Karen Rolton Oval in the last round of preliminary Shield games, which was coincidentally also against the grand final hosts.

Among those whose attention was captured were members of SA's high performance staff when the technology they use to track the output of their own bowlers showed Vidler hitting speeds up to 151kph with a howling, hot north wind at his back.

The finely framed redhead was used as first-change bowler in that game, behind veterans Michael Neser and Mark Steketee, and despite his obvious air speed went at almost six runs an over with his sole wicket being SA opener Henry Hunt.

But on day one of the Shield final, with a paltry 95 runs from Queensland's disastrous first innings to bowl at and after skipper Marnus Labuschagne exhorted his bowlers to deliver something special, Vidler took the new ball and got the Bulls back in the game.

Queensland still face a mountain to climb if they are to claim an unlikely outright win with SA 6-158 at day's end and 63 runs ahead, but that position might have been far less rosy if not for Vidler's 4-33 off 12 searing overs.

"Marnus spoke to us before we went out (to bowl) and said 'look, the batters will get us back in the hunt in our second innings, but right now bowlers we need a big lift from you to come in and give us a chance'," Queensland keeper Jimmy Peirson said after day one.

"We certainly saw that from our young tearaway quick Callum Vidler, taking four-for and showing some pretty raw pace which is really exciting for us to see.

"I think it's exciting for Cricket Australia as well, seeing someone like that coming through and bowling that sort of pace.

"He's pretty regularly in the 140 (kph range), sometimes pushing high 140s.

"He's learning about his body and sometimes one comes out 135, so it's one of those things that as he gets older I think he's going to be an absolute beauty for Queensland.

"And hopefully we don't see him too much, he goes and plays for Australia bowling some pretty good speeds.

"I like what I see from Callum Vidler."

While a couple of Vidler's wickets were fortuitous, notably Alex Carey's bottom-edged pull shot that was dragged back on his stumps and a similar miscue by Liam Scott that took his gloves as it slid down leg side, there was discernible improvement in his bowling from less than a fortnight earlier.

The teen understandably struggled to come back for second and subsequent spells in the debilitating heat of last Saturday week, and didn't bowl at all on day two of that game as the Bulls spent more than 143 overs in the field with SA piling on 7(dec)-614.

But Vidler doubled the number of maidens he bowled today (four) compared to the previous first innings effort against SA's in-form batting line-up, and strung together three on the trot to start his initial spell which ended with Hunt's wicket for a 19-ball duck.

"He's got a great wrist," Peirson said of the right-armer who literally throws himself into his bowling to the extent he occasionally ends up spreadeagled on the pitch after delivery.

"He's only played a handful of first-class games and he's learning about his craft.

"He's got one of the greats in Andy Bichel (Queensland assistant coach) teaching him about some various things as he goes through.

"But he's got that thing you can't teach which is absolute pace, and I think he's impressed a lot of people with what he's done and he certainly takes wickets.

"So he's a nice spearhead for us."

Vidler's pace and aggression also caught the eye of rival quick Brendan Doggett, who had begun his first-class career as a young tearaway with Queensland under Bichel's tutelage before making the move to SA in 2021.

"I love him, he looks good," Doggett said of the strike weapon that looms largest between SA taking a substantial first innings lead and the game remaining tightly poised.

"He's fast and wiry and aggressive.

"I don’t want to face him, but Queensland's got a winner there in him for sure."

Doggett was the prime reason SA took a stranglehold on the Shield final before Vidler began to prise it loose, bowling with pace and disarming late swing to send the Bulls' batting into a tailspin finishing with 6-31, just shy of his all-time best figures 6-15.

The only players to have snared six or more wickets in a Shield final at an economy rate below Doggett's day one effort of 1.83 runs per over are all Queensland quicks – Bichel (6-47 at 1.69 in 1990-00), Adam Dale (6-38 at 1.73 in 1996-97) and Carl Rackemann (6-54 at 1.78 in 1984-85).

But none of those former Bulls, nor any bowler before or since, can claim Doggett's unique achievement of taking Shield final wickets from consecutive deliveries when representing two different teams.

As Doggett recalled when interviewed prior to today's final, his ultimate delivery for Queensland before relocating to SA saw New South Wales tailender Josh Hazlewood caught behind by Peirson to deliver the Bulls the 2020-21 title.

What he could hardly have foreseen was his opening ball of SA's first Shield final appearance in eight years would also net the scalp of another Australia Test player, albeit top-order batter Usman Khawaja.

Doggett admits he wasn’t aware of the unlikely sequence separated by 1439 days until SA completed their rout of Queensland in less than 36 overs and he returned to the dressing room.

"It's a pretty cool stat I guess – on a Shield final hat-trick," he said after stumps on day one.

"But it was a good start."

Unlike Vidler, and despite being the fastest bowler in SA's line-up, Doggett was not deployed with the new ball and didn't enter the attack until the 10th over yesterday by which time Khawaja had been dropped twice and Queensland had progressed haltingly to 0-15.

But after striking with his opening delivery, Doggett went on to remove Khawaja's opening partner Angus Lovell in his next over, then scythed through the lower order to capture 4-19 from a decisive spell after lunch.

"It's not my choice, I want the new ball," Doggett said when asked about his role as first-change bowler.

"But obviously Jordan Buckingham and Macca (Nathan McAndrew) are both excellent new-ball bowlers and they get the most out of that.

"And I get the job of following one of those which is fine, we all work together and work well."

Both Peirson and Doggett acknowledged the difficulties in batting on the Rolton Oval pitch which offered slow seam movement on day one are considerably lessened once the ball is more than 35 overs old.

With SA having survived 45 overs to date and with their last recognised batting pair at the crease – Jake Lehmann (42no) and Ben Manenti (36no) – the Shield could well be decided in the opening session of day two.

Peirson dismissed suggestions Neser was under a fitness cloud, and noted a reason the 34-year-old operated at reduced pace with keeper up to the stumps in the final session of day one was in line with team tactics.

"He's just working through a long season," Peirson said of the Test-capped allrounder.

"He's had a couple of injuries this year and that happens at his age.

"I think an hour before stumps the plan was to take some pace off and try and trap these guys (SA) in front (of the stumps), so he wasn't steaming in like he was in that first spell.

"But he's fine, a little bit of cramp but he'll be okay."

Sheffield Shield final 2024-25

March 26-30 (10.35am ACDT): South Australia v Queensland, Karen Rolton Oval, Adelaide

The Sheffield Shield final will be broadcast live on Foxtel, Kayo Sports, cricket.com.au and the CA Live app

Teams 

South Australia: Henry Hunt, Conor McInerney, Nathan McSweeney (c), Jason Sangha, Alex Carey (wk), Jake Lehmann, Liam Scott, Ben Manenti, Nathan McAndrew, Brendan Doggett, Jordan Buckingham

Queensland: Usman Khawaja, Angus Lovell, Marnus Labuschagne (c), Jack Clayton, Ben McDermott, Jimmy Peirson (wk), Michael Neser, Jack Wildermuth, Mark Steketee, Mitch Swepson, Callum Vidler