Struggling at 4-56 on day one against NSW, Tasmania were rescued courtesy of a sublime Matthew Wade century
Match Report:
ScorecardWade pulls Tassie from trouble with dominant ton
Matthew Wade has proven himself again to be a man for a crisis after his century inspired a Tasmania fightback in their Marsh Sheffield Shield clash with NSW.
Wade struck 146 off 198 balls to lead Tasmania to 8-329 at stumps on day one at Blundstone Arena.
The former Test wicketkeeper arrived at the crease after lunch with the Tigers in trouble at 4-56.
NSW paceman Chris Tremain (3-49) caused the early damage with the scalps of Tim Ward (5), Jake Doran (2) and Jordan Silk (9) to put Tasmania on the back foot.
Image Id: 78623417125E47FD8DC56D7A8D4F3745 Image Caption: Chris Tremain reduced NSW to 4-56 with the wicket of Jordan Silk // GettyThe departure of Caleb Jewell for 53 left the Tigers wobbling at 5-95.
Wade has built a reputation for digging his team out of trouble with rearguard fightbacks and this occasion was no different.
The 34-year-old's driving through the covers was exquisite, with his timing and placement a feature.
His 114-run partnership with Beau Webster (41) put Tasmania back on track, and Jarrod Freeman (32) and Jackson Bird (28no) joined in on the fun to further frustrate NSW's attack.
Wade finished with 18 fours and one six before being dismissed by Ben Dwarshuis (4-88) on the final ball of the day.
It meant Wade fell just six runs short of matching his highest first-class score of 152.
The Blues lost in-form batter Daniel Hughes to COVID-19 before play in a major blow.
He scored 91 in his most recent Shield match, and followed it up with 139 in NSW's one-day loss to South Australia.
Tim Paine was a notable absentee for Tasmania, with Jake Doran instead named as wicketkeeper.