WA turn tables on Blues to claim 15th one-day title

A ridiculous outfield catch by Hilton Cartwright has spurred a late fightback from Western Australia, who downed NSW to claim their third 50-over title in five years in the Marsh One-Day Cup final in Melbourne.

Moises Henriques (43 off 75 balls) looked to be leading the Blues to an unlikely victory after the defending champions slipped to 6-108 in reply to WA's under par 9-225.

That was until Henriques tried to hit part-time wrist spinner D'Arcy Short over the long-on rope with just 22 runs required, with Cartwright launching himself across the Junction Oval turf to haul in a spectacular two-handed grab.

"Hilton's catch to get their set batter and probably best player in the game at a crucial moment in the game, that turned the game on its head really," WA captain Ashton Turner said.

"It's the best (catch) I've seen live, I'm absolutely stunned, particularly when you add the moment of the game – back-end of a final to catch the opposition's best player – it was the difference between us winning and not winning."

It certainly turned a match that had ebbed and flowed throughout in WA's favour; tail-end pair Adam Zampa and Tanveer Sangha then both fell for ducks as the Blues were bowled out for 207 in the 47th over, falling 19 runs short of their target.

Western Australia had a record 10th-wicket stand between fast bowlers Matthew Kelly and Jason Behrendorff to thank for even being in the contest at that late stage after their own top order collapsed.

On the ropes at 6-89 batting first, WA's fast bowlers stood up with both bat and ball, as first Jhye Richardson and allrounder Aaron Hardie, and then Kelly and Behrendorff lifted them to a competitive score.

Kelly (27no), who was dropped at fine leg by Matthew Gilkes on two, and Behrendorff (24no) slammed an unbeaten 52 in just seven overs after the NSW bowlers dominated the first 40 overs of the match.

Rising star Hardie (27 off 47) and international quick Richardson (44 off 64) started the resurgence with a 59-run seventh-wicket stand after Zampa proved again why he is the nation's premier white-ball spinner, ripping through the WA top order with three wickets.

In just his second game for his home state since returning from South Australia ahead of the 2020-21 summer, the star leg-spinner had an immediate impact after being introduced into the attack in the 16th over.

The 29-year-old struck in just his second over, sliding a delivery through the defences of veteran Shaun Marsh (29), who had looked unsettled since receiving treatment on a low-grade left knee sprain he suffered while turning awkwardly running between the wickets two overs earlier.

Zampa had his second victim the very next ball with skipper Turner bowled around his legs trying to sweep as WA slipped to 4-76 with their two most experienced batters back in the sheds.

Their first two wickets had also fallen quickly with Daniel Sams removing Josh Philippe (4) in the first over of the match before also claiming his opening partner Short (3) in his next over, both edging through to wicketkeeper Baxter Holt.

Marsh and Cameron Bancroft (39 off 57 balls) tried to consolidate, with both striking under 70 runs per 100 balls in a 61-run partnership before the 38-year-old left-hander departed.

Cartwright was Zampa's next victim when the Australian leg-spinner hung on to a sharp caught-and-bowled chance diving to his right, handing him the impressive figures of 3-10 after his first three overs.

He wouldn't take another wicket but his return of 3-40 from 10 will act as a perfect tune-up ahead of Australia's limited-overs tour of Pakistan later this month.

Zampa's leg-spin partner Tanveer Sangha (1-37) was next into the action, trapping Bancroft leg before in the 23rd over as WA slipped to 6-89.

From there the West Australians began to fight their way back into the contest as their last four wickets put on 136 runs.

Behrendorff was especially brutal in the final over of the innings, which cost left-armer Hayden Kerr 19 as the No.11 crunched a flat six to deep backward square leg, a four off the back foot over cover and a slog six to midwicket off the final delivery, which Sams caught but carried over the rope.

Kerr (2-52), was one of three left-armers in the NSW line-up alongside Ben Dwarshuis and Sams (3-45), who removed Richardson when he was adjudged out caught at long-on by the third umpire after he couldn't conclusively tell whether Gilkes had trod on the rope or not.

In reply, the Blues looked to be cruising at 0-42 before Hardie removed both openers within his first seven deliveries, and AJ Tye claimed the scalps of NSW skipper Kurtis Patterson and Jack Edwards within his first three to leave their chase wobbling at 4-85 in the 22nd over.

The Blues slipped further into trouble when player-of-the-match Tye (4-30) picked up his third, bowling Kerr for 16 (19), and NSW were reeling at 6-108 when Richardson bowled wicketkeeper Holt for a duck after he didn't offer a shot.

But the three-Test speedster's game was over shortly after, pulling up lame when he overstepped on the fifth ball of his seventh over and leaving the field with a left hamstring injury.

It's another blow for Richardson who was ruled out of the Boxing Day Test with shin soreness after he bowled Australia to victory with 5-42 on the final day of the second Ashes Test in Adelaide.

Sams got NSW back into the contest with a counter-attacking 42 in a 60-run partnership with Henriques until he picked out fine-leg with 12 overs to go, and then the match was Western Australia's thanks to Cartwright's catch, which proved a fitting end to an unprecedented Marsh Cup tournament.

Western Australia XI: Josh Philippe (wk), D'Arcy Short, Shaun Marsh, Cameron Bancroft, Ashton Turner (c), Hilton Cartwright, Aaron Hardie, Jhye Richardson, Andrew Tye, Matthew Kelly, Jason Behrendorff

NSW XI: Kurtis Patterson (c), Matthew Gilkes, Daniel Hughes, Moises Henriques, Jack Edwards, Hayden Kerr, Daniel Sams, Baxter Holt (wk), Ben Dwarshuis, Adam Zampa, Tanveer Sangha