News

Laughlin bowls Tasmania to victory

In his second game for his new state Tasmania, Ben Laughlin bowled his side to victory and the top of the Ryobi Cup table with a six-wicket haul against New South Wales at Canberra's Manuka Oval

ESPNcricinfo staff
04-Dec-2011
Tasmania 188 (Bailey 35, Doran 4-40, Hazlewood 3-34) beat New South Wales 9 for 184 (Henriques 65*, Laughlin 6-53) by 4 runs
Scorecard
In his second game for his new state Tasmania, Ben Laughlin bowled his side to victory and the top of the Ryobi Cup table with a six-wicket haul against New South Wales at Canberra's Manuka Oval. In a tense finish, New South Wales needed 18 off the last two overs with four wickets in hand, but Laughlin removed two batsmen and Ben Hilfenhaus held his nerve in the final over to secure the win.
Laughlin had Nathan Hauritz caught at long-on and two balls later Trent Copeland was lbw, and by the start of the last over the Blues required 11 runs with two wickets in hand. Josh Hazlewood was run out from the first ball of the over and Moises Henriques, the established batsman, couldn't find the runs needed and finished unbeaten on 65, failing to make contact with the last ball, when the Blues needed five.
Laughlin finished with 6 for 53, his second six-wicket haul in one-day cricket, the first coming for Queensland before his move during the 2011 off-season. Laughlin played five ODIs and a Twenty20 international in early 2009 but had dropped off the state radar, let alone the international one, after his brief taste of the elite level.
The Blues were chasing 189 for victory and at 4 for 122 they looked to be on track, but Laughlin troubled the middle order and there was not enough support for Henriques. It was a disappointing result for New South Wales, after the spinner Luke Doran collected 4 for 40 and Hazlewood picked up 3 for 34 to bowl the Tigers out for 188 in the 50th over.
George Bailey top scored for Tasmania with 35 and a tenth-wicket stand of 39 between Laughlin (16) and Xavier Doherty (32 not out) proved especially valuable in the end. Tasmania are one point clear on the top of the competition table, although they have played one more match than the second-placed Queensland, while the Blues sit fourth with three wins and three losses.