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Two days after taking a career-best 6 for 23 against Bermuda, the allrounder scores 17-ball 51 and takes three-for as Uganda move to No. 2 in points table

The Report by Peter Della Penna02-May-2018
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
ICC/Peter Lim

Two days after taking a career-best 6 for 23 against Bermuda, Mohammad Irfan was at it again. His blistering half-century and a three-wicket haul with his offspin helped Uganda beat Vanuatu by 81 runs at WCL Division Four.Irfan’s 17-ball 51 at Royal Selangor Club in Kuala Lumpur included seven sixes. This astonishing assault came after Uganda were struggling for momentum at 92 for 4 in 37 overs. From there on, Uganda scored at 10 runs an over. Irfan scored 51 in a whirlwind 55-run stand off just 26 balls with Hamu Kayondo to shift the momentum. Uganda eventually finished with 222 for 8 in 50 overs.It wasn’t all about Irfan’s assault though. Riazat Ali took over after Irfan’s dismissal, hitting four sixes in his 23-ball 38. Vanuatu captain Andrew Mansale bore the brunt of the aggression, conceding nine of the 13 sixes hit by Uganda in his nine overs of offspin. He finished with 1 for 78.Uganda captain Roger Mukasa repeated the bowling strategy that worked so effectively when they bowled out Bermuda for 60. He gave the new ball to offspinners Irfan and Frank Nsubuga, and the move worked as they Vanuatu were reduced to 2 for 4, including the prized scalp of player-coach Shane Deitz for a third-ball duck.Nalin Nipiko fell at the end of the Powerplay to make it 24 for 5 as Uganda pressed hard for another massive win to boost their net run rate further. Mansale, however, brought respectability back to the Vanuatu innings with his 69 off 110 balls during the course of a 53-run sixth-wicket stand with Ronald Tari to give Vanuatu an outside chance.Riazat Ali Shah took out Mansale in the 43rd over and finished off the rest of the tail with 3 for 16 as Vanuatu were eventually all out for 141 in 47 overs.

Sussex have confirmed that Ross Taylor will re-join them as an overseas player for the 2017 NatWest T20 Blast

George Dobell31-Jan-2017Sussex have confirmed that Ross Taylor will re-join them as an overseas player for the 2017 NatWest T20 Blast.Taylor, the former New Zealand captain, was by some distance the most productive Sussex batsman in the competition last year. He scored 394 runs, at an average of 56.28 and strike-rate of 133.10, with his highest score of 93 not out coming in victory over Gloucestershire at Bristol, taking just 48 deliveries and including eight sixes. Eleven men scored more runs in the competition in 2016, but none of them had as high an average or played as few games.Despite Taylor’s form, Sussex failed to progress beyond the group stages of the competition. His return, alongside the long-term signings of Stiaan van Zyl and David Wiese (both as Kolpak registrations; Wiese also had a spell at the club in 2016) and Laurie Evans, a destructive T20 batsman from Warwickshire, should strengthen them.Taylor will be available for the entire T20 campaign which, in 2017, does not start until July.”We are thrilled to have Ross joining us for the T20 competition,” Mark Davis, the Sussex head coach, said. “He was outstanding in the competition last season and to have him back is brilliant for the club. Not only is Ross a world class player but a fantastic role model to our younger players.”

The Indians needed a pair of half-centuries from Rohit Sharma and Manish Pandey to patch up an underwhelming batting performance, but their bowlers had little trouble defending 249 against Western Australia XI in the warm-up one-dayer at the WACA

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Jan-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRohit Sharma top-scored for the Indians with 67•AFP

The Indians needed a pair of half-centuries from Rohit Sharma and Manish Pandey to patch up an underwhelming batting performance, but their bowlers had little trouble defending 249 against Western Australia XI in the warm-up one-dayer at the WACA.This was India’s final practice match before facing Australia in the first ODI on Tuesday and everyone in their squad was given a go, except fast bowler Ishant Sharma, who was benched as a precaution owing to a cut on his finger. “He’s perfectly alright,” insisted bowling coach B Arun. “Just before the game, he was bowling on the ground, he’s been bowling 25-30 balls on the ground. It’s an opportunity for us to try other boys and with Shami being injured it becomes even more important for us to check who we are going to play in the next game”So Barinder Sran (7-1-22-0) and Rishi Dhawan (7-1-28-2) were given the new ball and there were good signs – only three fours were hit off their bowling in the first 10 overs. “He’s a bowler with a lot of potential,” Arun said of Sran. “He’s been pretty impressive in these two games that he’s played. Being a left-armer too, gives us an added advantage and we have a bowler we can groom in the future for us.” The ones India will likely bank on in the present – R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja – were able to further the squeeze in the middle overs. Western Australia XI was bowled out for 185 in 49.2 overs, which meant that they faced one ball more than the Indians did.Having opted to bat, Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli were dismissed inside six overs. Both men had shown excellent form in the warm-up T20 on Friday, but that did offer the rest of the line-up some match practice. Rohit, who had run himself out in the last game, played steadily to reach his half-century off 64 balls, with five fours and two sixes. He would strike one of each kind of boundary before he was caught spectacularly by D’Arcy Short at slip.For most of his innings, Rohit had the company of Ajinkya Rahane and their 88-run stand for the third wicket came at a healthy 5.33 per over. Rahane managed three fours in his 53-ball 41 before chopping legspinner James Muirhead onto his stumps.Then the Indians decided to test some of their lower-middle order options. A flatfooted Gurkeerat Singh received a lovely outswinger and nicked off for 6 off 13 balls. Drew Porter was the wicket-taker and he finished with 5 for 37 from 9.1 overs. The 30-year old fast bowler was the main reason for the Indians finding themselves at 171 for 6 with MS Dhoni back in the pavilion for 15 off 35 balls.But Manish Pandey was able to progress fluently at No. 6. He struck only three fours, but was able to maintain a strike rate near 100. His 58 off 59 was vital to India crossing 200. Jadeja chipped in with 26 off 25 balls, but his greater contribution was working in tandem with Ashwin in the second innings. The two spinners got through their 20 overs for only 70 runs and picked up four wickets. Axar Patel provided a couple of breakthroughs as well and maintained an economy rate of 3.62.”The idea of playing practice games, and the fact that we are playing on the same ground [as the first ODI] also gives us the advantage,” Arun said. “Though we have played a lot of cricket in Australia recently, but then again coming back after playing a lot of cricket in the subcontinent, we are getting used to the ground on which we are playing.”There were only two Western Australia XI batsmen who managed a strike-rate of 80. Opener Jake Carder (45) and No. 7 Jaron Morgan (50) were the only sources of concerted resistance.

A dramatic day of three declarations and two stunning centuries ended with Australia A in the ascendancy. Ireland, 51 for 3, need a further 250 for victory.

16-Jun-2013
ScorecardPaul Stirling transferred his one-day hitting to red ball cricket•BCB

A dramatic day of three declarations and two stunning centuries ended with Australia A in the ascendancy. Ireland, 51 for 3, need a further 250 for victory.Crucially, one of the Ireland wickets to fall on the third evening was first innings centurion Paul Stirling, who was unable to repeat his magnificent display earlier in the day.Following the Australians’ overnight declaration 22 year-old Stirling took a distinct liking to pace bowler James Pattinson, dispatching him for three boundaries in the first over which set the tone for another remarkable hundred – his 8th for Ireland.Stirling dominated the proceedings to such an extent that when he reached his half century off just 44 balls, with 10 fours and a six, the scoreboard read 58 for 3, which included six extras.Stirling found a willing partner in Andrew White, who excels in the longer format of the game. White was content to play second fiddle to the belligerent Stirling who hit 17 fours and a six. While the maximum was somewhat inadvertent, there was nothing fortunate about the other boundaries – many of which were magnificent cover drives and square cuts.His innings ended on 115 from 142 balls, when he was smartly stumped by Brad Haddin from the impressive Nathan Lyon who conceded just 34 runs in 16 overs.Debutant Fawed Ahmed went wicketless but following a nervous start he bowled with enough variety and control to suggest that he may indeed represent the senior Australian side before the summer ends.Ireland captain Kevin O’Brien declared their at tea, 126 in arrears, in an move designed to take the game forward after most of Saturday was washed out.What followed was a brutal assault by New South Wales opener Nic Maddinson. He made Stirling’s innings look positively pedestrian by smashing 113 from just 63 balls, which included 13 fours and 6 sixes.His partnership with Alex Doolan was worth 174 in just 122 balls before skipper Brad Haddin called off the carnage with the lead exactly 300.And his bowlers responded before the close as Moises Henriques dismissed John Anderson and Alex Cusack after Pattinson had made the initial breakthrough as Stirling edged through to Haddin.

Ireland will play their first international game at Malahide Cricket Club against England on September 3, 2013

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Jun-2012Ireland will play their first international game at Malahide Cricket Club against England on September 3, 2013, subject to clearance from the ICC. The Malahide ground in Dublin has been developed to a capacity of 11,500, making it Ireland’s biggest cricket venue, and will be officially opened at the planned ODI fixture next year.England have won four of the five ODIs between the sides but famously lost to Ireland at Bangalore in the 2011 World Cup. The match could also be of significance to Eoin Morgan, England’s captain on their last visit to Dublin in August 2011, who played for Malahide as a teenager between 2000 and 2002.Ireland coach Phil Simmons said: “I live just around the corner from the ground so it’s fantastic for the club and the area to be hosting a game of this magnitude. It’s going to be a super venue for cricket, and the fact that it’s England coming will give the whole day that extra edge that contests between the countries in all sports seem to inspire.”Alan Hughes, president of Malahide Cricket Club, said “Malahide are delighted to be able to stage this match and look forward to hosting the largest ever crowd at a cricket international in Ireland. It’s certain to be a memorable occasion, and hopefully the first of many top-class matches at the ground.”Ireland’s regular venues for international cricket include Clontarf in Dublin and the Civil Service ground at Stormont. Malahide has also been confirmed as the stage for two Twenty20 games against the touring South Africa A side later this year.

Tanvir Ahmed and Pakistan’s phalanx of spinners put the tourists in control of the second Test against West Indies on the second day in Basseterre

The Bulletin by Osman Samiuddin21-May-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsTanvir Ahmed kept West Indies in the field far longer than they would have liked•Associated Press

Tanvir Ahmed and Pakistan’s phalanx of spinners put the tourists in control of the second Test against West Indies on the second day in Basseterre. With Saeed Ajmal, Ahmed first put together a rousing, defiant last-wicket stand of 78 to not only prevent Pakistan’s first innings from going to total waste, but actually make it a little imposing.Ajmal, Abdur Rehman and Mohammad Hafeez then shared six wickets between them as West Indies slumped to 184 for eight on a still decent surface for batting; proof of that was in an elegant fifty from Marlon Samuels. The two sides are among the weakest batting-wise in cricket which is no bad thing for it makes for compelling cricket.More than anything, Pakistan’s spinners were persistent, working their way patiently through the bulk of the batting. Occasionally a partnership lingered or resistance emerged, an obstacle appeared; each time they found a way through.Ahmed had struck first in a spell which made up in control what it lacked in pace. Off the second ball of the innings, Lendl Simmons was sucked into a needless drive. Taufeeq Umar, once among the best slippers in Pakistan, took the first of three good catches. Another loose drive brought the wicket of debutante Kraigg Brathwaite, though the beneficiary Wahab Riaz was poor. He had nearly given away the initiative when Ramnaresh Sarwan took him for three boundaries in an over, but the arrival of spin halted progress.Rehman slotted in immediately, stopping runs, but it was Ajmal who caused strife. It wasn’t so much the succession of off-breaks, but what each subsequent one hid: the threat of the doosra. Pleasingly, not many came and it was to an off-break that Sarwan fell, another needless rush out of the crease.Mohammad Hafeez, more bowler than batsman this series, then chipped in. Darren Bravo, initially lost among Brathwaite’s debut and Sarwan’s blitz, fought neatly with Samuels till he edged Hafeez on the stroke of tea. Soon after the break, Hafeez struck again to remove Brendan Nash.Hafeez used, it was Rehman’s turn. Carlton Baugh wasn’t much of an issue, but the key breakthrough was the dismissal of Darren Sammy. Another promising partnership was building when Sammy tried to repeat a straight six from the previous Rehman over. He struck it well, only to see Umar Akmal running along the boundary to take an outstanding catch inches from the rope.The one obstacle that proved more durable than others was Samuels. Only in the XI because of Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s late withdrawal, Samuels at first looked precisely like a man playing his first Test in over three years. But a loose, brief second spell from Riaz in the run-up to tea allowed him to unfurl a couple of sweet square drives and settle down.After tea he looked better, secure in defence, surer in attack. He didn’t always read Ajmal, choosing to play him off the surface but it hardly mattered when he was driving him elegantly over extra cover for four and six. Rehman had already been dispatched over long-on.In between those strokes, he was patient and measured. But he took on Ajmal once too often. Having already hit him straight, there was little need for another and next ball, Taufeeq took his third, excellent catch of the innings, diving forward at long-off.That was fitting reward for a day that had been Pakistan’s, the first hour apart. In that, they lost three swift wickets and looked set to be rolled over for under 200. Only when Ahmed and Ajmal came together was the innings given unexpected solidity.Ahmed was his usual self, mixing muscular boundaries with those unique whips, Caribbean style. One such, over midwicket off Devendra Bishoo, brought up the fifty partnership half an hour before lunch. In the next over came two more, a punch through covers and a dainty clip wide of mid-on. And as lunch neared, a streaky edge brought an accomplished maiden fifty. He celebrated immediately, cutting for another boundary.Ajmal gave obdurate support, mixing fortune with pluck. He regularly and comically pulled, once going fine for four and once top-edging for six over slips. Other than that he stuck around, adding the odd run, frustrating the bowling.West Indies slumped swiftly, alarmingly. The second new ball was wasted, Kemar Roach either too full or short and Ravi Rampaul lacking the energy of earlier bursts. Sammy toiled, but Bishoo floundered as defensive fields were employed. Bishoo finally ended the stand, ten minutes before lunch trapping Ahmed in front but the tide had turned.

The ICC is determined the World Cup will still be a 50-over competition in 2015, despite Cricket Australia considering a new two-innings one-day format

Brydon Coverdale10-Jun-2010The ICC is confident the World Cup will still be a 50-over competition in 2015, despite Cricket Australia considering a new two-innings one-day format. The CA board will discuss the concept, which could involve two innings of either 20 of 25 overs, at a meeting this week with the view to testing it in state cricket this summer.The former coach of Australia, John Buchanan, has for many years been spruiking the idea of one-dayers split into two innings per side. He believes the future of the game lies in shorter formats, with Test cricket also retained, and 50-over matches fall into a no-man’s land between the two versions.”If Cricket Australia are contemplating making changes to it, I think congratulations to them for looking at that,” Buchanan told Cricinfo. “I’d support any changes that make it look more like the 20-over form. It has been in need of an overhaul for some time … and has been and will continue to lose popularity unless something is done with it.”Games won’t finish by the end of 10 overs into the second innings of a normal 50-over game, where one side has either dominated with the bat or been completely dominated by the ball and the game has really lost interest. By being able to quarterise the game it should enable the game to have longer life from a spectators’ point of view.”England and South Africa have already dropped 50-over cricket from their domestic schedule in favour of 40 overs, but Cricket Australia’s two-innings idea takes that concept even further. It could also mean that many players around the world will have limited exposure to the 50-over format, which in some countries will be played only at international level.That raises questions over the 2015 World Cup, to be hosted by Australia and New Zealand. But the ICC is confident the event will remain in its current 50-over format by the time that tournament rolls around.”The ICC is committed to the three forms of the game, being Test cricket, 50-over cricket and Twenty20 cricket,” an ICC spokesman told the . “We have a working party of eminent chief executives set up to look at the context and content of international cricket.”However, the ICC’s general manager of cricket, Dave Richardson, last year said he “quite liked” the idea of two-innings one-day games. “If it has been trialled successfully at domestic level, it may give the trial to give it the go-ahead at international level,” Richardson said last September.Part of the appeal of a split-innings one-day game is that the home team is guaranteed to bat during the more popular second session. There is often less interest in matches in Australia when Ricky Ponting’s men have batted first, with fans less likely to turn up to the game after work or watch it on television.”There’s no doubt in the world there’s time for some change,” Steve Crawley, the head of sport at Channel Nine, said in the . “There’s no doubt they [Cricket Australia] are up for it. You’ve got to hope they can lead the world.”The idea has also won support from some former players including Ian Chappell and Dean Jones. Chappell said the game would become more tactical when split into two innings per team, while Jones called it “a fantastic idea”.

The issue is not money, but that youngsters want to play on the big stage, Russell argues

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Aug-2024It’s not the money. According to Andre Russell, premier West Indian cricketers are “just not interested in playing Tests.”The issue has been simmering forever, with cricketers popular with T20 leagues around the world – like Russell – often staying away from West Indies cricket, particularly the longest format. Sometimes, they have been called mercenaries. Most recently, in December 2023, Jason Holder, Nicholas Pooran and Kyle Mayers turned down West Indies central contracts, but made themselves available for T20Is. Holder, though, has since played Tests.Even though observers say that is due to the lack of money in West Indian cricket, Russell disagrees. “I don’t think it’s the money, I don’t think money is the issue,” he told recently. “Based on the amount of T20 and leagues around the world, I think a lot of players are just not interested in playing Tests.”Russell’s remarks came after West Indies – placed bottom of the nine-team World Test Championship table at the moment – were swept 3-0 in England. They have since drawn the first Test in Port of Spain against South Africa, a Test they were behind in for the most part but, following rain and an attacking South Africa declaration, got to a competitive position when time ran out.Related

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Russell, Shimron Hetmyer, Pooran, Rovman Powell and Kieron Pollard were among the West Indians playing in The Hundred when the last Test against England was being played in late July. Among the highest-paid players in the league, they are still playing The Hundred while the Test series against South Africa is on. Pollard, Powell and Pooran have never played Test cricket. Russell played one, in 2010. Hetmyer has played 16, the last of them in 2019.”I’m always excited watching the other West Indian batters, especially when they’re hitting boundary after boundary,” Russell said. “As long as you can do well from contracts outside your nation I think they are going to grab that opportunity but everyone wants to play on the big stage.”So, if the big stage comes in Test cricket, I know youngsters will be happy to play. I just don’t think it’s about money or anything like that.”Russell, now 36, has managed to stay at the top of his game in short-format cricket despite a succession of injuries over the years, especially in the legs. A knee injury forced him out of the 2019 ODI World Cup after a few games. Test cricket, he said, was not on the table for him.”Red-ball cricket is not my cookie, I don’t think my body will keep up with Test cricket,” he said. “But those in the team at the moment are fit enough and taking on the challenge. They had a few moments in the Test series [against England] where they could have turned things around. Playing England at home is always going to be hard for the West Indies.”

Fast bowler kept in cotton wool until third Test at Headingley after limited build-up

Matt Roller27-Jun-2023Ben Stokes has revealed that England “wanted to play Mark Wood” in the second Ashes Test at Lord’s, starting on Wednesday, but doubts over his durability meant they were forced to select Josh Tongue for his second cap instead.Tongue is the only change from the side that lost by two wickets in the first Test at Edgbaston last week, replacing Moeen Ali as England field an all-seam attack on a pitch that retained a healthy covering of live grass the day before the game.Stokes said that Moeen’s spinning finger, which he cut on his return to first-class cricket last week following 21 months away, had “recovered really well” but a combination of conditions at Lord’s and concerns that he might re-open the wound led to the selection of a fourth seamer.Related

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Wood was England’s leading wicket-taker on the 2021-22 tour to Australia and remains their fastest available bowler, but has not played a red-ball game since England’s tour to Pakistan in December and has not played a competitive fixture since his most recent IPL appearance on April 15. Fitness-permitting, England will unleash him in the third Test at Headingley next week.”We wanted to play Mark Wood,” Stokes said. “We felt that he could definitely start the game but with conversations, we felt the extra week with build-up and getting his loads up would give him a better chance and an opportunity to play a full part from Leeds onwards.”And we brought Tonguey into the team as a like-for-like with Woody. We turned up here at Lord’s and saw there was quite a lot of grass on the wicket, a bit of green. Traditionally, Lord’s has offered more for the seamers and with how Mo’s finger was last week… we just thought we would get more out of our fourth bowler being Josh Tongue this week.”Stuart Broad and Mark Wood kick a football around•PA Images/Getty

Stokes said that Wood had spoken candidly to him after bowling in training on Monday. “Me and Mark are great friends,” he said. “We go back a long way. I spoke to him how I’d want him to operate in this game and he was very honest with me.”He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to give what he’s known for throughout this Test match. So the decision was made to allow him to keep building his body up to give himself the best opportunity to go out, from Leeds onwards, to play a full part.”Pat Cummins, Australia’s captain, would not be drawn into speculation about Wood’s fitness, but noted that Josh Hazlewood – whose appearance at Edgbaston had been his first Test in five months – had similarly benefited from sympathetic handling within the Australia set-up.”Over the last six months, everything was to give [Hazlewood] the best chance as possible to be right for this series,” Cummins said. “It’s really rare to have a full squad that’s fit and we are in a really lucky position. Some of that is probably luck, but a lot of that is also the incredible support team who you only really hear about when things go wrong, but they’ve been fantastic to get everyone fit.”Tongue, the 25-year-old Worcestershire seamer, is a surprise inclusion despite the success he enjoyed on this same ground on debut against Ireland earlier this month. He claimed second-innings figures of 5 for 66 to set up a ten-wicket win, and provided a point of difference to England’s attack on a slow pitch that proved difficult for creating wicket-taking opportunities.He has been picked ahead of Chris Woakes, who has a remarkable record at Lord’s but appears to have slipped some way down England’s pecking order, as well as Matthew Potts, who has been released to play for Durham in the County Championship.Stokes suggested that Tongue would continue to be used as an enforcer in an attack that also features James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson. “Broady, Jimmy and Robbo will tell you it’s always nice having someone who can bowl at 90mph doing it,” Stokes said. “Just having that versatility as a bowler this week is going to be very useful.”The only thing that’s different is the occasion for him. He’s had his first Test match, his debut game, which he’s had huge success from. Coming in and being able to use him in a fourth seamer role is something that I’m very much looking forward to him being able to do and I think he’s really looking forward to the challenge as well.”Stokes said Root’s bowling has “gone from strength to strength”.•PA Photos/Getty Images

This is the first time that Stokes has gone into a Test as captain without a frontline spinner in his side, with Joe Root – who bowled 22 overs of offspin at Edgbaston, returning match figures of 1 for 58 – his only part-time option.”He’s gone from strength to strength,” Stokes said of Root’s bowling. “The more responsibility I’ve given him with the ball has brought out another side to Joe. It’s great having someone like that who also averages 50 with the bat – that’s always nice.”Stokes also said that he hopes to “play even more of a part with the ball” in the second Test, after bowling 14 overs at Edgbaston. “I’ve recovered really well,” said. “Last week was a huge confidence boost for me. In all the build-up it was in a controlled environment around just training without having to stand in the field or back days up.”His fitness has been in question throughout the summer and he has bowled with heavy strapping on his left knee. “Being able to bowl that longer spell on the last day was another confidence boost for me,” Stokes added. “At the moment, things are looking good and hopefully I can play even more of a part with the ball in this game.”England: 1 Zak Crawley, 2 Ben Duckett, 3 Ollie Pope, 4 Joe Root, 5 Harry Brook, 6 Ben Stokes (capt), 7 Jonny Bairstow (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Ollie Robinson, 10 Josh Tongue, 11 James Anderson.

WA captain ‘shed a few tears’ after winning the Sheffield Shield for the first time in his 21-year career

Alex Malcolm04-Apr-2022The tears said it all. Shaun Marsh has had countless triumphs over a 21-year professional career. He’s made 13 international centuries for Australia, won Ashes series, Border-Gavaskar trophies, been the leading runscorer in an IPL, won multiple BBL and Australia domestic 50-over titles.But raising the Sheffield Shield aloft as Western Australia captain, something his father Geoff Marsh had done, something no WA captain had done in 23 years, could be his greatest achievement as a cricketer.”It’s pretty emotional to be honest,” Marsh said. “I’ve shed a few tears.”It’s definitely up there. Dad always spoke about his Shield wins as being the highlight of his career and this feeling that I’ve got inside my body now it’s definitely up there and I’m just so happy for the playing group.”Related

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It might be the perfect way to finish for Marsh. He began his Shield career as a 17-year-old with Western Australia in 2001, three years before his current team-mate Teague Wyllie was even born. But the 38-year-old, who has a year to run on his state contract with WA and has signed a two-year contract extension with Melbourne Renegades in the BBL, has not decided on his future just yet.”I’m not too sure,” Marsh said. “I’m not going to worry about it for a few days. I’m really going to enjoy this moment and enjoy it with the boys. We’ve really earned this moment. It’s been a few years in the making this and I’ll sit down with [coach Adam Voges] at some stage and we’ll see what next year looks like but at the moment I’m not even going to think about it. I’m going to celebrate with the boys and really cherish this moment.”WA were made to earn the title by an unrelenting Victoria outfit. They narrowly claimed the bonus point lead in the first innings thanks a superb 141 from Cameron Bancroft. Victoria coach Chris Rogers said it was the best he had ever seen Bancroft bat.Shaun Marsh lifts the Sheffield Shield•Getty Images

Then Aaron Hardie and Joel Paris orchestrated a Victoria collapse taking three wickets each after the visitors looked poised to snatch the bonus point lead and give themselves the opportunity to take the title with a drawn game. It gave WA a first-innings lead of 80.But there was one more twist in the tail on day four. Two quick wickets saw WA slump to 5 for 110, with a lead of just 190, and over five sessions left in the match. However, Sam Whiteman and Hardie both made centuries to put the game to bed and ease Marsh’s nerves.”I battled through day four,” Marsh said. “It was probably the best and worst day of my life to be honest. The emotions were going through my body and I couldn’t be more proud of Sammy and Hards in that partnership.”The game was in the balance and the way those two came out and batted it was just incredible and really put us into a commanding position. That partnership [is] up there with the best I’ve seen in 21 years.”Hardie finished with 174 not out, his highest first-class score, while Whiteman made 123 to go with his 85 in the first innings and faced over 500 balls in the match to be named player of the final.It was a special result for Whiteman, who played alongside Marsh, Bancroft and Voges in WA’s only other Shield finals during their 23-year title drought. Both were losing draws against New South Wales in 2013-14 and Victoria in 2014-15.Sam Whiteman and Aaron Hardie both made centuries•Getty Images

“It’s very special,” Whiteman said. “It means a lot to everyone in the group, and it varies from person to person. But you think of Shaun who’s played for 20-odd years. A lot of the group has played for 10 years now and we probably messed up a few chances along the way. You start doubting whether it’s going to come but it feels amazing.”Whiteman’s performance is made all the more extraordinary given he has reinvented himself as an opening batter, after playing as a specialist wicketkeeper in WA’s previous two finals before a finger injury forced him to give away the gloves.”Before the game my wife said to me, who would have thought you know, seven or eight years after your last Shield final that you’d be playing as an opening batter,” Whiteman said. “And yeah, I wouldn’t have guessed it, going from the keeper to opening. It’s special to be part of the team, play my small role, and, yeah, just pumped for WA cricket.”Victoria captain Peter Handscomb was left to ponder several decisions he and his side made throughout the five days including sending WA in after winning the toss and failing to chase the bonus point lead harder in the first innings.”I’m still okay with the toss,” Handscomb said. “I think hindsight is an interesting one. Looking back, we probably could have gone harder at the bonus point and then we get to try and control the game and try and get the draw that way. But at the time, we thought the wicket would deteriorate a little bit more than it did. We thought we’d be able to force a result somehow whether it be a win or a loss.”We didn’t really expect the pitch to kind of play like that. To see no cracks on a WACA wicket day four or five is a little bit interesting.”Handscomb had no qualms with WA batting Victoria out of the game noting his side would have done the same had they been in the same position. As disappointed as he was with the result, he was delighted for Marsh, who he played alongside for several years with Australia.”Bloody happy for Sos,” Handscomb said. “He’s a good mate of mine. It’s good that he’s been able to do that.”