The Queensland Bulls will need to produce a record-breaking performance on day four of their Sheffield Shield match against Western Australia at the Gabba if they are to claim overall victory.
The Bulls rescinded their early advantage in the contest when WA put on 496 in their second innings, with the hosts now struggling at 2-88 and facing a target of 440 to win.
Queensland initially dismissed the Warriors for 111 and went on to claim first-innings points on day one, but since then the visitors have fought back admirably to go into the final day with the upper hand.
History is against the Bulls reaching the target, as the highest-ever successful chase by a Queensland side was 373 in 2000-01 against Tasmania at Allan Border Field.
Western Australia started the day with a 183-run lead and five wickets in hand and if the Bulls were hoping to clean up the lower order quickly, they were in for a stark surprise.
Queensland needed early wickets, and paceman Matthew Gale (4-109) got them off to a good start, dismissing night watchman Jason Behrendorff with the second ball of the day, sharply caught behind the wicket by Chris Hartley.
But the Warriors counter-punched via some aggressive hitting from Sam Whiteman (51) and John Rogers (89).
James Hopes (3-60) almost sent Rogers packing with the first delivery after drinks, finding a thick outside edge which Hartley seemed to have covered, but inexplicably spilled.
Western Australia went in to the lunch break at 6-363, with a lead of 306.
Rogers was gone in the second over after lunch before the Warriors had added any runs to the total, when he skied a Gale delivery.
The wicket brought an end to a very useful partnership of 123 for Western Australia which had put them firmly in command of the match.
Gale's probing deliveries short of a length drew more Warriors batsmen into false shots, as he had both Whiteman and Nathan Coulter-Nile (32) caught by Nathan Reardon at mid off.
Just as Queensland must have been thinking about getting their big run chase started, Ashton Agar (53) and Michael Hogan (43 not out) put together a dashing 94-run final wicket stand, which included some powerful hitting from both men.
Agar finally holed out in the deep to Hopes, with Reardon once again the man taking the catch, to end what was Western Australia's highest ever 10th-wicket partnership.
The Bulls set about the daunting task of chasing down the big total with four sessions left in the match.
With just 17 runs on the board, Queensland lost Pomersbach (six) when he fended a vicious Coulter-Nile delivery off his throat to Mike Hussey at third slip.
Led by a composed Greg Moller (48 not out), with support from Joe Burns (22), the Bulls eased their way to 1-50 at drinks.
Burns was caught at backward square leg attempting to sweep teenage spinner Agar, but Moller and Peter Forrest (11 not out) held out to the close of play to give Queensland some hope on Thursday.
On a track that has looked flatter by the day, the Bulls may be in with a shout, but it will take a highly-focussed effort with the bat to score the 352 runs needed for victory.
First Posted 06 February, 2013 5:03PM AEST
