Big Ben builds case for higher honours

Tasmania opener Ben McDermott pushed his 2018 JLT One-Day Cup average over 100 and did his national selection hopes no harm with a match-winning hundred against South Australia on Thursday.

Set 237 to win, the Tigers were in cruise control until a mid-innings hiccup precipitated a dramatic finale to the run chase, the batting side ultimately getting home with three wickets and one over to spare.

Central to that success was McDermott, who again showed his ability to switch tempos for the 50-over format, having made a name for himself as a T20 hitter.

For the second time in three matches, the 23-year-old controlled the run chase expertly, and against the Redbacks he went one step better than he managed with last Saturday's 117 against his native Queensland, seeing out the win with an unbeaten 102 from 120 deliveries.  

"This one meant a lot more, being there at the end – it was good to see the boys right home today," he said afterward.

"It's always good to finish the game off not out. We were under the pump there at the end."

McDermott profited from a life on 35 when Alex Ross spilled a regulation chance on the boundary, but outside of that he was in complete control, adding a second hundred of the summer to a record that is likely to bring him into calculations for the T20I and ODI sides, particularly in the absence of suspended batsmen Steve Smith and David Warner.

"We've hopefully got finals to come and if selections come up then that's a bonus," he said. "I've just got to keep scoring runs – winning games for Tasmania is the priority at the moment."

McDermott earned the endorsement of opposing skipper and former teammate Jimmy Peirson after his first hundred of the tournament last week, with the Bulls captain suggesting he could push for higher honours. 

"He's a very good player, especially against the white ball," Peirson said. "We've played a lot of cricket together and it’s fantastic to see how he’s going.

"Opportunities are there (for Australia), so I don't see why not if he keeps scoring runs. Big runs in big moments can get you in that side.

"He's putting good numbers on the board and has done well in T20 cricket for a couple of years now, (he's) a brutal player who can hit the ball hard."

The dashing right-hander now has 303 runs for the tournament (114 runs clear of the second-placed Jordan Silk), form he puts down to a rigorous pre-season in which he stripped nine kilograms and worked on his focus in the middle, as well as a stint in the Surrey Championship in England, in which he averaged 36.4 with a century in his final innings.

"(I've done) a lot of work with (Tasmania) batting coach, Jeff Vaughan – he's helped me immensely," he added.

"So a lot of work went into my pre-season, and in England as well, just developing my mental game and fitness as well so I'm able to bat for long periods of time."

Tasmania currently sit in second place on the ladder, with one match still to play, against Western Australia at Hurstville Oval next Monday.