Gannon cracks Shield final open against dogged Tigers

Tasmania will almost certainly need an outright victory to deny Western Australia a third consecutive Marsh Sheffield Shield crown after their late day-two collapse in the competition decider at the WACA Ground.

The back-to-back reigning champions turned the screws as Cameron Gannon (3-26 from 17 overs) claimed the prized scalps of player-of-the-season Beau Webster (for 5) and Tigers captain Jordan Silk (30) in the dying light leave the visitors 6-152 at stumps.

Bradley Hope and Jarrod Freeman were the unbeaten pair at the close of play with both yet to score and their side still trailing WA's first-innings 347 by 195 runs.

The visitors' sluggish scoring rate has made the prospect of a Tasmania win via the first-innings bonus-point system (which will only come into play if the match is drawn) a distant prospect.

They would need to at least double their overnight score in 25 overs before the 100-over cut-off mark to pass WA, which would be a change of pace given the 174 runs scored on Friday came at less than two per over.

Amid that long slog, Corey Rocchiccioli (2-44 from 22 overs) was the most consistently threatening bowler for WA, yet it was Gannon who cracked the game open.

After souring Matthew Wade's farewell red-ball match when the makeshift opener was trapped lbw for one, Gannon returned to have Webster dismissed when a bat-pad chance carried all the way to square leg, before Silk gloved one behind down the leg-side.

It came in a collapse of 3-11 across 9.4 overs during the post-tea session that has put WA in prime position to take out another first-class title.

Cooper Connolly earlier finished his maiden first-class innings on 90, narrowly missing out on becoming the first Shield final debutant to post triple figures, as the left-hander made all but five of the 22 runs WA added to their overnight tally of 8-325.

The importance of the bonus points to WA was clear as the 100-over mark in their first innings neared, with Connolly and No.11 Rocchiccioli hanging on grimly to stop the Tigers from taking the final tenth of their bowling point.

Connolly immediately freed the arms after passing the cut-off and while Hope dropped him at deep point, Webster made no mistake when Iain Carlisle (3-65) found his edge with the first-gamer 10 runs short of a ton.  

A pitch sporting 9mm of grass that saw divots form on day two after the opening day's moisture dried out provided plenty for WA's disciplined pace brigade, but Charlie Wakim (33) and Caleb Jewell (45) defied them in a stubborn 68-run stand.

It took Rocchiccioli, whose breakout Shield campaign has been the best by a spinner in four decades, to make the breakthroughs as Wakim (caught at long-on) and Caleb Jewell (caught behind on the second attempt by Josh Inglis) both succumbed.

Another determined Tigers partnership between Silk and Jake Doran, worth 51, was broken when Aaron Hardie bowled a peach from around the wicket that clean bowled the latter out of the blue.

Silk had been fortunate to survive a strong caught behind appeal off Gannon on 28 but then had to go when Inglis took a leaping snare to dismiss him soon after.

The Marsh Sheffield Shield final will be broadcast live on Fox Cricket and Kayo Sports, as well as live streamed free on cricket.com.au and the CA Live app.

Sheffield Shield 2023-24 standings

Team	Matches played M	Wins W	Losses L	Drawn D	No results N/R	Deductions Ded.	Batting Bonus Bat	Bowling Bonus Bowl	Total points PTS
1 Western Australia Men WA	10	5	2	3	0	0	5.53	9.4	47.93
2 Tasmanian Tigers Men TAS	10	5	2	3	0	0	6.06	8.3	47.36
3 NSW Men NSW	10	4	3	3	0	0	6.31	9	42.31
4 Victoria Men VIC	10	4	4	2	0	0	4.74	8.2	38.94
5 South Australia Men SA	10	3	6	1	0	0	5.19	9.3	33.49
6 Queensland Bulls QLD	10	2	6	2	0	0	3.54	8.3	25.84

Legend

M: Matches played

W: Wins

L: Losses

D: Drawn

N/R: No results

Ded.: Deductions

Bat: Batting Bonus

Bowl: Bowling Bonus

PTS: Total points