Elliott steers Victoria to ING Cup win

Victoria 215 for 3 in 47 overs (Elliott 89, Hodge 50*) beat Queensland 212 for 7 in 50 overs (Payne 52) by 7 wickets
Scorecard

Matthew Elliott, the former Australian Test opener, top-scored with 89 to steer Victoria to a seven-wicket victory over Queensland in the ING Cup one-dayer at the MCG today. Victoria reached 215 for 3 in 47 overs chasing Queensland's 212 for 7.

Elliott blew a chance for his third century in four matches against the Bulls this season when he was stumped, going down the track to a wide from part-time spinner Stuart Law and being stranded well out of his ground.

Victoria were guided home by Brad Hodge, unbeaten on 50, and David Hussey, who collected the winning boundary. Victoria moved to joint-second on the ING Cup table after three games, level with New South Wales on eight points and one point behind Western Australia.

Victoria set up this win with a disciplined fielding effort, strangling the run-rate after the Queensland Bullls had started with a flourish. Queensland were scoring at five an over until the 12th over, but from there the batsmen lost their way. They did not score a boundary for 86 balls, between the 34th and 47th ovesr. Daniel Payne top-scored from the top of the order with 52, while Clint Perren made an unbeaten 35 (with no boundaries) and Martin Love 34.

Law, the other opener, hit three successive fours in his 24 off 26 balls, and Damien MacKenzie made an unbeaten 23 from 19 balls, including two fours and a six. Mick Lewis took 2 for 33 from 10 overs, while Jon Moss (1 for 33) and Cameron White (0 for 32) also sent down miserly 10-over spells.

Moss then made 47 from 70 balls in an opening stand of 102 with Elliott as Victoria looked set to earn the bonus point for reaching the target inside 40 overs. But the rate stalled by the time MacKenzie bowled Moss in the 24th over, although Victoria never looked like blowing the win. The offspinner Chris Simpson was the pick of the Queensland attack, with 0 for 31 from his 10 overs.