Richardson pushes Ashes case, puts WA on brink of victory

Jhye Richardson has made a strong push for an Ashes squad berth in helping Western Australia take control of their Marsh Sheffield Shield clash against Queensland on day three at the Gabba.

Despite plucky partnerships from the Bulls' sixth- and seventh-wicket pairs, the visitors dominated the day, and it was Richardson who was the headline act with the ball, claiming 4-23 from 22 overs.

At the close, Queensland were 9-244, with a slender lead of 92 and only final pair Matt Kuhnemann (2no) and Michael Neser (5no) in any position to extend it on the final morning.

Steaming in from the Stanley St End, Richardson bowled 13 maidens and claimed the scalps of Queensland's openers as well as Test ace Marnus Labuschagne (36), and later added the wicket of Jack Wildermuth to take his tally to seven for the match.

 

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With James Pattinson having called time on his international career, and Neser's fitness under a cloud owing to a hamstring injury, the twice-capped WA quick might well have become the next pace-bowling cab off the Ashes rank after a stellar performance that combined accuracy, patience and endurance.

"He's a fantastic bowler," said Joe Burns after play. "Jhye's done it for a number of years now and he's done well for Australia as well.

"I'm a big fan of him. He just bowled the right lengths, and he got us playing. He bowls well in these sorts of conditions – at the Gabba and the WACA – and he bowled the house down today."

After play began two hours later than scheduled due to more Brisbane rain, Queensland resumed at 0-1 and lost Bryce Street (6) early, the left-hander edging behind as Richardson attacked the stumps from around the wicket and got the odd ball to straighten.

The hosts then had their best partnership of the match when the experienced Labuschagne and Burns came together and added 76 for the second wicket.

After making a first-ball duck two days ago, Labuschagne settled back into his more customary role of run machine, picking up the length of the ball quickly and being particularly ruthless on anything short.

At the other end, Burns slashed consecutive boundaries through gully off the pacey Lance Morris, then pulled Cameron Green away to the square leg rope.

The two made it through to the day's first session but a short time after, Richardson angled a back-of-a-length delivery into Labuschagne, who appeared to edge through to wicketkeeper Josh Philippe.

Upon being given out, the batter very briefly raised his left glove to his right side in what appeared to be some kind of alternative explanation to the umpire, before turning and making his exit from the middle.

It was the start of a match-defining phase; across a stretch of 6.2 overs, Queensland lost 4-15.

Two overs on from Labuschagne's demise, and just as Burns moved to within one of 50 and passed Ken Mackay to become Queensland's eighth-highest run-scorer in the Shield (6,342), he became Richardson's sixth wicket for the match.

The right-arm quick – operating over the wicket to the right-hander – caught the outside edge of Burns' bat, and the ball flew through to a diving D'Arcy Short in the slips.

Next to go was Usman Khawaja, who couldn't repeat his first-innings defiance when he too edged the ball into the cordon, this time to Cameron Green who took a good catch diving forward at first slip to give Cameron Gannon his first wicket of the match.

The former Bulls quick had two in quick time when he then removed Jimmy Peirson for a duck courtesy of another slips catch, on this occasion to Cameron Bancroft.

At that point, Queensland had slumped to 5-106 and were still 47 runs short of making WA bat again.

A measured Matt Renshaw (43) then teamed up with a more aggressive Jack Wildermuth (34) to try to work their side out of the quagmire in which they found themselves, and it really was a study in opposites; the left-handed Renshaw took 28 balls simply to get off the mark, while Wildermuth look as assured in both attack and defence as anyone has across these three days, crashing a series of boundaries to move quickly into the twenties.

The pair eventually began to balance out as Renshaw grew in confidence and Wildermuth consolidated, and their 53-run stand pushed the Bulls ever-so-slightly into the green before the latter's full-blooded drive off Richardson was expertly intercepted by Hilton Cartwright above his head at cover.

It introduced the tail to WA's hungry attack but the left-handed Gurinder Sandhu, who has two hundreds to his name in Brisbane Premier Cricket from just five innings this season, soon proved their measure.

Sandhu and Renshaw added another half-century stand for the seventh wicket and in doing so ensured this match would at least extend into a fourth day. In fits and starts – including both batters launching D'Arcy Short's left-arm tweakers into the stands – they cobbled together a lead, which grew more quickly as their union wore on.

It was a courageous rear-guard in trying circumstances, but after adding 78 together, it was the full-time batter Renshaw who erred, edging Green behind to give Philippe his seventh catch for the match.

And when Sandhu and Mark Steketee both fell to the spin of Short in the following over, the hosts had suffered another collapse – this time 3-1 from five deliveries. 

The last man to the middle was hamstrung quick Neser, who was accompanied by a runner in Street.

Neser and Kuhnemann added to WA's frustrations until the close of play, the pair seeing off a charged-up Richardson who, as he searched for a fifth wicket for the innings, was armed with four slips and a fine gully.

The lower-order resistance has at least given the home side a chance of a miracle, or perhaps more likely, a weather-assisted draw on Saturday.

The forecast however is fine and sunny, which WA will be hoping is also their disposition come the conclusion of this contest.