Wickets tumble as Shield returns to the 'G

Leading domestic pacemen Scott Boland and Jackson Bird ran rampant on a lively MCG surface which saw 13 wickets fall on Melbourne’s first day of Marsh Sheffield Shield cricket in 454 days.

Victoria quick Boland claimed 4-44 from 17.1 overs as Tasmania folded for 188 just after tea on Friday before Bird, filling in as Tasmania captain for the ill Tim Paine, snared two wickets before stumps to keep his side in contention.

Boland, now with 22 wickets at 19.86 this season, and Bird, 20 at 26.15, are the Shield’s two leading wicket takers among fast bowlers and proved a handful on a seaming track prepared for the return of men’s domestic first-class cricket to Victoria.

The MCG track was rated ‘poor’ for the 2017 Boxing Day Test but curator Matt Page has helped reinject life into the drop-in pitches.

“It’s definitely better to bowl on,” said Boland after the Vics went to stumps on 3-70, trailing by 118.

“It nipped around, there was a bit of carry. The odd one spun, so hopefully toward the back end (of the game) it will get more spin.

“We haven’t played here for 450 or something days so it’s nice to be back, we’ve played so many away games.”

Fresh off a match-saving century against NSW last week, Peter Handscomb batted fluently in the final session to be 52 not out at the close with nightwatchman Boland (yet to score) unbeaten at the other end.

Jake Doran (52) earlier struck a valiant half-century for the visitors before suffering a major lapse of judgement to be the victim of the first of two spectacular Nic Maddinson run outs in the space of just nine balls.

Doran pushed one gently towards mid-off but Maddinson moved swiftly to his left and ran the Tasmanian out by a considerable distance with a diving flick.

Maddinson then hit the same set of stumps from side-on with an overarm direct-hit two overs later to catch Jarrod Freeman, backing up too far, short of his ground as well in an exasperating period of play for the visitors. 

Tasmania had begun the game in the unusual position of only having 10 of their 11 listed players actually at the ground after their captain Paine woke up under the weather and was forced to miss under Cricket Australia’s COVID-19 guidelines.

His replacement Alex Doolan landed at Melbourne airport about 30 minutes after play begun at the MCG, arrived at the ground before lunch and was out the middle after the break batting at number six.

Bird, captaining the team in Paine’s absence, started his second game as skipper (his first, back in December 2016, was also against Victoria) with a lost toss and his counterpart Handscomb’s decision to bowl paid off immediately with the visitors reduced to 2-16 inside nine overs.

A 51-run stand between Charlie Wakim (30) and the in-form Caleb Jewell (37) as Doolan was flying over the Bass Strait ensured a further Tasmanian reshuffle was not required, despite Boland trapping Wakim lbw before lunch.

Jewell stood no chance against a lifting Pattinson delivery that brushed his glove on the way through to keeper Seb Gotch before Doolan, batting in the unfamiliar spot of No.6, chopped on attempting to leave a Mitch Perry delivery.

Doran fought hard on the spicy surface, adeptly coping with balls that leapt off the surface, and would have rued that he was dismissed by a run-out.

The Tigers lower order folded meekly in a collapse of 6-52.

After losing his opening partner Maddinson lbw, Marcus Harris appeared furious to be given out caught behind off Beau Webster, and was followed by Matt Short not long after when he poked Bird to third slip.

Handscomb unfurled consecutive off-driven boundaries off Bird to pass fifty for the second time in as many Shield innings following his 124 not out at Bankstown last week.