Lynn and Forrest steady Bulls
Middle-order batsmen Chris Lynn and Peter Forrest hit half-centuries to steady Queensland on the first day against Western Australia
ESPNcricinfo staff
03-Mar-2014
Middle-order batsmen Chris Lynn and Peter Forrest hit half-centuries to steady Queensland on the first day against Western Australia at the Gabba. Besides the tricky batting conditions, the Bulls also had to deal with the pink ball that was being trialled in matches that were played under lights.
The Warriors chose to field after winning the toss and had early rewards as Joe Burns was bowled shouldering arms to Jason Behrendorff before Usman Khawaja guided a catch to gully for 1. Bulls were down to 74 for 3 when opener Dom Michael, who replaced the injured Luke Pomersbach, was dismissed for a patient 26 off 107 balls.
Lynn, playing his first Shield match since recovering from a rib injury, and Forrest then set about repairing the innings with a 96-run stand. Lynn played a watchful innings, before being dismissed caught-and-bowled by Nathan Rimmington. Bulls captain James Hopes fell a few overs before stumps, but Forrest was still around on an unbeaten 74.
Bulls need to win both their remaining matches to stay in contention for a place in the final, while Warriors are currently leading the table, where the top three sides are separated by only two points. One worry for Warriors on the first day was that allrounder Mitchell Marsh had to leave the field due to a suspected side strain.