Sandhu, Richardson unlikely heroes as Queensland ambush New South Wales
AAP
09-Oct-2023
Kane Richardson celebrates hitting the winning runs • Getty Images
Queensland 219 for 9 (Heazlett 58, Sandhu 46, Richardson 36*, Edwards 4-38, Nisbet 3-59) beat New South Wales 217 (Henriques 82, Hughes 59, Guthrie 3-58) by one wicket
Queensland pacemen Gurinder Sandhu and Kane Richardson combined for the largest tenth-wicket partnership in Marsh Cup history and hoisted the Bulls to a stunning one-wicket defeat of New South Wales.
The home side posted only 217 at the usually batter-friendly North Sydney Oval on Monday but looked on track to defend the total courtesy of allrounder Jack Edwards and debutant Jack Nisbet.
Sam Heazlett had been the pick of the Bulls' batters on Monday but when he edged Chris Green to Edwards at point, the visitors looked out of the contest at 146 for 9.
Sandhu and Richardson were Queensland's last hopes, and while both are competent with the willow, neither could be said to be a true allrounder.
But the Queensland quicks struck up a 73-run partnership that yielded 12 boundaries and eclipsed the competition's previous best 10th-wicket stand of 61.
Sandhu was particularly influential, hitting Nisbet for back-to-back fours in the 31st over, while Richardson smacked the debutant over long on for a rare six two overs later.
When Sandhu hit the ball straight down the ground from Edwards' bowling, the target required was into single figures.
Richardson belted the ball over long off and into the O'Reilly Stand for a six that sealed a famous victory for Queensland in the 38th over.
"Best shot of the day, best shot of the season, maybe," Sandhu said. "I had full trust in Kane and he had full trust in me. We just worked together, chatting every over, just trying to get each other through for the next one, and the next one and the next one. I couldn't have done it without him, no way."
Sandhu had been similarly influential with his bowling, swinging the ball with ease and reducing NSW to 4 for 2 inside three overs.
He could have had a third early wicket but was denied an lbw appeal against Moises Henriques, who went on to steady the NSW innings in a 126-run partnership with opener Daniel Hughes.
Henriques brought up his half-century by pulling Matt Renshaw over deep midwicket for one of his four sixes and went on to make a match-high 82.
But Jack Wildermuth broke the partnership when he caught Hughes at fine leg from Liam Guthrie's bowling in the 22nd over, sparking a NSW collapse of 8 for 87.