Broad stars on difficult day for batsmen

Victoria 2 for 29 trail Queensland 245 (Broad 96, Love 54, Nannes 4-45, Wright 4-64) by 216 runs
Scorecard

Victoria's veteran recruit Damien Wright made an impact in his first outing for the state as he grabbed four wickets to help restrict Queensland to 245 on the opening day at the Gabba. The Bulls seemed set for a big total when Ryan Broad and Martin Love combined to take the score to 1 for 141 but Wright and Dirk Nannes pegged back the hosts in impressive fashion.

Victoria's captain David Hussey might have been pondering his decision to send Queensland in when Broad cruised to 96. But the loss of Broad, who edged Shane Harwood to second slip, started a mini-collapse. Wright, the former Tasmania fast bowler, picked up the prize wicket of Andrew Symonds, who was caught top-edging a hook for 26.

Wright was on a hat-trick after Greg Moller fell from the next delivery, caught behind attempting to leave the ball alone. Three from three did not come Wright's way but he did add two more victims, while Nannes finished with 4 for 45 after grabbing two of the last three wickets.

Nannes had earlier ended the 127-run partnership between Love and Broad when he had Love caught on the boundary for 54. James Hopes, who is still trying to familiarise himself with his new opening role, also fell to Nannes for 4.

The gremlins in the pitch were not as fierce as in the previous Sheffield Shield match at the Gabba, which was over in three days, but Victoria also battled when they faced 12.2 overs before stumps. They closed at 2 for 29 with Chris Rogers on 13 and Hussey on 4 after they lost Nick Jewell and Brad Hodge cheaply.