Blackford brilliance! Debutant steals miracle win for Vics

A jaw-dropping 149 not out from rookie gloveman Liam Blackford has propelled Victoria to one of the most extraordinary wins in Australian one-day domestic history.

On a flat pitch at Allan Border Field, a Bulls win looked a mere formality after they blasted 7-335 then had the visitors 4-14 inside four overs.

Yet Blackford had other ideas, the rookie 'keeper striding to the middle with the score at 5-84, adding 152 for the sixth wicket with Will Sutherland (100) and remaining unbowed with the highest debut score in Australia's domestic one-day history to secure a miracle three-wicket win with a ball to spare.

"Pretty surreal. It definitely hasn't sunk in," Blackford said after his heroics.

"We were in a fair bit of trouble, and I was trying to get settled. Obviously being my first game I was very nervous. It was great to get the win. I don't really believe it just yet."

It is the first time in the competition's history that a Victorian has scored a century on debut, and only the sixth occurrence overall. The 22-year-old's innings included 16 fours and six sixes and came from just 113 balls.

It was also some turnaround for Sutherland, who was hammered for 81 off 10 wicketless overs, with most of those runs conceded amid a late-innings blitz from Queensland's lower-middle order.

Missing a host of their experienced stars to both international duties and injury, the Bulls looked to be plodding their way to a middling total after Sutherland – who named three debutants in left-arm paceman Harry Hoekstra, Blackford and left-arm finger spinner Doug Warren – opted to bowl first.

After making a hundred last week in Queensland's intra-squad practice match at the same venue, young right-hander Hugh Weibgen fell for one as the Vics' new-ball pair Austin Anlezark and Hoekstra impressed.

Jack Clayton (36) and Bulls skipper Marnus Labuschagne (42) steadied proceedings but when the Test batter fell to a superb caught-and-bowled from Matt Short's first delivery, the score had only just passed 100 and the innings was just beyond its midway point.

Hugo Burdon (73) and Lachlan Hearne (46) upped the ante from there, adding 95 for the fourth wicket in just 12.5 overs, though both batters fell at timely intervals for the Victorians, who kept themselves in the contest.

It wasn't until the 42nd over – with the score at 5-205 – that the complexion of the innings really shifted. The sixth-wicket pairing of the uncontracted Max Bryant and second gamer Dylan McLachlan would hardly have struck fear into the hearts of Sutherland and co but the hitting display that followed – a partnership of 89 runs from 39 balls – was something to behold.

Bryant set the tone initially with some remarkable stroke-play, including a lofted cover drive that landed on the roof of the Champions Corner building in the north-eastern pocket of the venue. His 44 from 23 balls was near enough to the perfect cameo but it was bettered by McLachlan, who put on a six-hitting exhibition in front of a vocal collection of family and friends.

The 'keeper-batter, filling in for the hamstrung Jimmy Peirson, cleared the rope seven times, surging to a maiden List A fifty from just 24 balls before finishing unbeaten on 66no from 29.

Kerr's two late sixes only added salt to Victorian wounds, and it was Sutherland (0-81) and Sam Elliott (2-77), their two most experienced quicks, against whom the major damage was inflicted.

In reply, Victoria quickly found themselves in dire straits, with Tom Straker striking three times and left-armer Oli Patterson once to have the score reading 4-14 inside four overs.

Blake McDonald (17) and Sutherland stopped the rot for a short time before Mitch Swepson knocked over the former with one that went straight on. The leg-spinner put the squeeze on through the middle overs in tandem with Labuschagne, who bowled stump-to-stump with keeper McLachlan up and was unlucky not to have Sutherland lbw when he hit his opposing skipper adjacent to the stumps.

Left-handed debutant Blackford managed to hang tight with his skipper, unleashing one cracking pull shot that raced to the square leg boundary and frustrating the Queenslanders in their pursuit of a bonus point.

And while the sixth-wicket pair was there, hopes of a Vics miracle remained. Sutherland passed fifty and then moved beyond his previous List A high of 66, while newcomer Blackford – who has overcome multiple surgeries following a rare blood clot in his right arm to earn a spot with his state – matched his captain shot for shot.

"A year without cricket, a pretty long year to be honest," he added. "I was all good but I was on medication for the blood clot, which meant I couldn't play cricket because I couldn't get hit by the ball.

"I am grateful that I am back out there now. That is something that pushes me forward. Things could have been different."

The 22-year-old brought up his fifty from 59 balls with a monster six over midwicket after Swepson dropped short and it was indicative of a gradual turning of the tide; an over later Sutherland brought up the pair's century stand with another hefty blow, this time over wide long-on from Labuschagne.

Blackford erred a short time later when he skied a chance off Swepson on 66, but the chance went begging and after Patterson seemed to lose his line and length, the Vics paired stepped on the accelerator.

With 100 needed from the final 10 overs, Kerr trapped Sutherland lbw to again swing the contest, but Vics No.8 Sam Elliott then teamed up with Blackford as the emerging young star reached his century and continued to keep his side afloat.

It came down to a gripping final few overs, but even as Elliott was dismissed by the impressive Straker (4-50), Blackford held his nerve.

With 12 required from the final over – bowled by Labuschagne (0-65), who was among Queensland's five frontline bowlers – he struck two fours before his partner Hoekstra should have been run-out pursuing a suicidal second run.

Yet Labuschagne failed to grasp the return throw at the non-striker's end and from the next ball, Blackford iced the chase, carving four more through cover point to complete a performance he will never forget.

2026-27 One-Day Cup standings

Round 1

Team	Matches played M	Wins W	Losses L	Ties T	Drawn D	No results N/R	Net Run Rate NRR	Deductions Ded.	Batting Bonus Bat	Bowling Bonus Bowl	Total points PTS
1 Victoria Men VIC	1	1	0	0	0	0	0.103	0	0	0	4
2 South Australia Men SA	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	2
3 Western Australia Men WA	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	2
4 NSW Men NSW	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
5 Tasmanian Tigers Men TAS	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
6 Queensland Bulls QLD	1	0	1	0	0	0	-0.103	0	0	0	0

Legend

M: Matches played

W: Wins

L: Losses

T: Ties

D: Drawn

N/R: No results

NRR: Net Run Rate

Ded.: Deductions

Bat: Batting Bonus

Bowl: Bowling Bonus

PTS: Total points