Bird helps Tasmania take first-innings points

Tasmania 5 for 439 dec and 0 for 6 lead Victoria 320 (McDonald 64, Maxwell 51, Bird 4-73, Faulkner 3-65) by 125 runs
Scorecard

Jackson Bird and James Faulkner bowled Tasmania to first-innings points against Victoria at the MCG but rain late in the afternoon hampered the Tigers in their push for victory. At stumps on the third day Tasmania were 0 for 6 in their second innings, with Mark Cosgrove on 4 and Ed Cowan on 2, and their lead was 125, but they had only three more sessions to set Victoria a target and bowl them out a second time.

Victoria started the day in serious danger of having to follow on, but Andrew McDonald and Glenn Maxwell both scored half-centuries to push the Bushrangers into a more respectable realm. McDonald made 64 before he was caught at cover off the bowling of Xavier Doherty and Maxwell picked up two sixes and five fours in his 51, an innings that ended when he sent a catch to fine leg off Faulkner.

Bird, who finished with 4 for 73, had Peter Siddle lbw for 1 but a 54-run stand between John Hastings and James Pattinson saved Victoria from the follow-on. Hastings made 46 before he became the third wicket for Faulkner and Pattinson remained not out on 19 as Bird wrapped up the innings by having Clint McKay caught for 6 with the Bushrangers on 320.

The Tigers barely had time to start their innings before the rain came and with more wet weather forecast for Friday, their chances of adding to their first-innings points appeared slim.