Khawaja stars as Bulls romp past Vics

Usman Khawaja made an emphatic statement to start his home season, smashing a century in his first game for Queensland as they romped to a third success win in the Marsh One-Day Cup. 

Khawaja's 138 inspired Queensland to their total of 9-322 and Victoria's batting crumbled as they slumped to be all out for 168 as the Bulls claimed a 154-run triumph and a bonus point.

Mark Steketee was the star with the ball as he finished with with 4-25 off his 10 overs, a new domestic one-day best, claiming three of the top four wickets and returning to dismiss dangerman and Victoria captain Aaron Finch for 46 to extinguish the home side's last fleeting wisps of hope. 

Michel Neser, the uncapped Ashes tourist, had opener Marcus Harris caught behind for a duck in the first over to start the rot, while young spinner Matthew Kuhnemann was largely impressive with his control to tie down an end and pick up a caught-and-bowled. 

The only batter to get on top of the 23-year-old left-armer from the Gold Coast was another rising star in Victoria allrounder Will Sutherland, a rare shining light for Victoria. 

Sutherland posted a second successive Marsh Cup half-century with the bat, continuing his fightback after a torrid opening game where he conceded a new record for the most expensive 10-over spell in Australian domestic one-day history against a rampant WA side. 

He launched Ben Cutting for a massive six that sailed over the crowd and ended up in the CitiPower Centre nets, and confidently slog-swept Kuhnemann for a pair of sixes over long-on.

But Khawaja's 13th List A century – his eight in one-day domestic cricket – gave Queensland plenty of front-end oomph in what proved to be a match-winning knock, even if their late-innings batting left much to be desired.

A brilliant fightback with the ball from Victoria saw the Bulls collapse to lose 6-30 as they were restricted to 9-322 having won the toss and batted first. 

Khawaja departed for 138 in the 43rd over as Queensland looked to accelerate in the closing stages on a pitch that quickened up as the sun appeared over St Kilda and the grassy banks at the CitiPower Centre filled. 

Khawaja hit 16 boundaries, mixing deft cuts with powerful drives and pulls, and slogged spinner Jon Holland over long-on for a six that was well caught on the hill. 

But after a rampaging start aided by Victoria's tendency to pitch the ball too short, Queensland faltered in the late overs as the home side fought back well. 

Throwing the bat to chase quick runs but lost wickets regularly late as they went from 3-284 in the 43rd over to 9-314 before the last pair added eight. 

Khawaja and Sam Heazlett put on 185 for the opening wicket in a partnership that had Victoria allrounder Glenn Maxwell contemplating a Mankad run-out on the player mic with Fox Cricket. 

Heazlett was the first wicket to fall, caught behind on 88 off the bowling of James Pattinson, having posted his third half-century in as many Marsh Cup games. 

Heazlett hit 11 fours and a six in his 86-ball knock that followed on from fifties against NSW (70) and South Australia (51). 

In just his 12th List A game for Queensland, Heazlett now has six fifties and a century for a remarkable conversion rate. 

It helps give a picture of the talent and promise that saw him parachuted into Australia's one-day side in Auckland in January 2017 by Greg Chappell in his role as selector and National Talent Manager. 

Chappell retires this week from Cricket Australia to officially end a 50-year association with the game. 

Pattinson, playing his first game at this venue since destroying NSW in last season's Sheffield Shield final, had an inauspicious start with the ground collapsing under his front foot as he delivered the first ball of the match. 

Some quick running repairs were not enough to ease Pattinson's nerves as he switched to around the wicket one ball later, and eventually moved away from the Fitzroy Street end after two overs before looking like he had any confidence in the surface again. 

Pattinson responded well to collect 3-53 from his 10 overs while there were two wickets apiece for Maxwell (2-62), Jackson Coleman (2-48) and Holland (2-70). 

Victoria XI: Aaron Finch, Marcus Harris, Will Pucovski, Peter Handscomb (c), Nic Maddinson, Glenn Maxwell, Will Sutherland, James Pattinson, Chris Tremain, Jon Holland, Jackson Coleman

Queensland XI: Sam Heazlett, Usman Khawaja (c), Marnus Labuschagne, Matthew Renshaw, Joe Burns, Jimmy Peirson (c/wk), Ben Cutting, Michael Neser, Mark Steketee, Matthew Kuhnemann, Billy Stanlake