Victoria charges back into box seat

Victoria has dominated day two of the Bupa Sheffield Shield final highlighted by an unbeaten century opening stand and a record eight-wicket haul to leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed.

At stumps, the Commonwealth Bank Bushrangers were 0-135 trailing the Alcohol.Think Again Western Warriors' first innings of 421 by a further 287 runs.

Victorian openers Chris Rogers (79 not out) and Rob Quiney (51 not out) played with intent and purpose, collecting 15 boundaries between them. It was the first time in a Shield final that both teams' openers had compiled century stands.

Rogers survived an animated appeal off the last ball of the day that may have grazed the outside edge through to WA wicketkeeper Sam Whiteman, but the umpire was unmoved.

The Warriors were eyeing a big total at 5-372 prior to lunch before Fawad removed Whiteman (72) and promptly ripped through the tail to restrict the Warriors to 421.

"He bowled very well," Whiteman said at stumps. 

"He’s always tough to face – he doesn’t give you many bad balls. 

"Clearly he bowled very well and we’ll need to come up with a few better plans to play him in the second innings."

Victoria need only a draw to take out the title while WA must push for an outright victory to claim an unprecedented hat-trick of domestic cricket titles, having already won the Matador One-Day Cup and the KFC T20 Big Bash League.

Quick Single: Fawad pressing his case for a Baggy Green

The wrist-spinner claimed 5-24 on day two to finish the innings with 8-89 and beat Chris Matthews' previous best in a Shield final of 8-101 for WA against Queensland in 1988, taking his season tally to 48 from 11 matches.

"It’s just a lucky day for me," Fawad said at stumps.

"I just bowled normally like the other days. Cricket needs more luck, and I’m happy it was a good and lucky day for me."

Fawad became the first leg-spinner to take an eight-wicket haul in Shield cricket since Bob Holland in 1984, the first spinner since Greg 'Mo' Matthews claimed 8-52 at the SCG in 1993.

"We always try our best to take more and more wickets but I never thought I’m going to take eight wickets in this game," he said.

"I was thinking to bowl stump to stump because it’s not turning that much and just to restrict the batsmen and bowl more maiden overs and dot balls in this game.

"Who(ever) holds their nerve I think will win this game."

Ashton Agar remained not out on 44 as Adam Voges (107), Marcus Harris (81), Cameron Bancroft (55) and Whiteman all contributed to Western Australia's competitive total on a benign Blundstone Arena wicket.

Paceman Peter Siddle claimed the other two wickets to fall, finishing with figures of 2-67 from 30 overs, while James Pattinson went wicketless from 26 overs on his return to the side after a minor hamstring injury, conceding 101 runs.

Pattinson was a much improved bowler on day two, with extra fire and aggression but was unable to find the breakthrough.

"Sidds and Patto had a really good start today and they bowled really well today and set the tone," Fawad said. 

"As I told you yesterday, Voges' wicket would be really crucial and Siddsy bowled really well and took that wicket and then it was easy for me to wrap up the tailenders."

In the first session, the Warriors added 82 for the loss of two wickets on a chilly Tasmanian Sunday morning.

Voges added seven to his overnight score of 100 before becoming the morning's first and Siddle's second wicket when the right-hander's defences were breached by a searing inswinger, ending a 123-run stand with Whiteman.

It left Voges on 1322 runs and in fourth spot on the list of most prolific Shield seasons, behind Simon Katich (1506), Michael Bevan (1464) and Matthew Elliott (1381). 

The 23-year-old Whiteman was fluent on the front foot against the four-prong pace attack of the Bushrangers, dispatching anything overpitched between the vacant real estate ranging from point to mid-on.

But like he did on day one, Ahmed claimed the much-needed breakthrough when a quicker, flatter leg-break kept low and slid under Whiteman's pull shot to castle the left-hander who had added 44 with Agar.

Victoria: Chris Rogers, Rob Quiney, Matthew Wade (capt), Fawad Ahmed, Scott Boland, Dan Christian, Peter Handscomb, David Hussey, Peter Siddle, Marcus Stoinis, James Pattinson, Jon Holland (12th man). 

Western Australia: Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris, Michael Klinger, Adam Voges (capt), Shaun Marsh, Sam Whiteman, Ashton Agar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Nathan Rimmington, Andrew Tye, Simon Mackin, David Moody (12th man).