Hartley, Burns help Queensland hold on for draw

A stubborn hand by Chris Hartley and a more fluent one by Joe Burns allowed Queensland to comfortably evade defeat to New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield match at the SCG.

The Blues began the final day needing 12 Bulls wickets to secure an outright win, but Hartley and the No. 10 batsman Mark Steketee succeeded in frustrating the hosts while adding 103 and soaking up more than 46 overs.

Steketee was eventually out when he was caught by Sean Abbott at leg gully after the ball rebounded off the helmet of the short leg fielder Nick Larkin. Catches off helmets were allowed under CA playing conditions ahead of the 2016-17 season, while the MCC are presently debating the adaptation of that change for all cricket.

Hartley finished unbeaten on 86, while the NSW offspinner William Somerville claimed 8 for 136 from no fewer than 58.5 overs. The NSW captain Moises Henriques enforced the follow-on, but Burns, Peter Forrest and Marnus Labuschagne did more than enough to ensure there would be no wobbles by the Bulls and the match was called off early with no chance of a result.

Points from the draw move NSW into second spot on the table, narrowly ahead of South Australia.