Fiery Kasprowicz roasts Tigers

As warmer temperatures returned to Brisbane, Queensland applied a blowtorch to Tasmania and decisively took control of the 2001-02 Pura Cup Final between the teams here at the 'Gabba today.

Early ambitions of a second day recovery from the visitors proved short-lived as paceman Michael Kasprowicz (5/60) ripped through fragile batting to leave the Tasmanians in fearful trouble. They now lie a distant 186 runs behind overall with Queensland at 0/25 at stumps in its second innings.

Tempers boiled back in the Tasmanian dressing room as at least one umpiring decision again proved a source of ire. In truth, though, fiery pace bowling from Kasprowicz and a combustible middle order proved by far the biggest causes of the Tigers' undoing.

The former Test fast bowler was at his destructive best in the closing session of the day, orchestrating Tasmania's downfall in a whirlwind burst that saw the visitors' last nine wickets come crashing down while just 78 runs were added.

He made life difficult for almost all of the batsmen, teaming with Ashley Noffke (3/15) and Andrew Symonds (2/20) to stifle the innings of most of the Tigers' players in their infancy.

It was a performance made all the more impressive by the fact that fellow new ball bowler Scott Brant joined the match's growing list of injury casualties when a side strain forced him from the field - and probably from the bowling crease for the remainder of the contest - after only four overs.

Jamie Cox (14) was caught expertly, low down, as he cut to the head of two gullies; Michael Dighton (29) edged to slip; Scott Kremerskothen (10) flashed another catch to gully; and Gerard Denton (0) fanned at a leg cutter to be caught behind the wicket. Also among Kasprowicz's victims was Michael Di Venuto (11) whose exit to a caught behind decision delivered by umpire Simon Taufel left the Tasmanians more than mildly annoyed.

"I'm exceptionally happy with that," said Kasprowicz of his team's performance.

"For us to bowl Tasmania out (for such a low score) in a Final is just a great effort.

"The ball swung around a little bit during most of the innings but essentially it's a good, even-paced wicket.

"We knew we just had to bowl good line, good length and keep all of the pressure on Tasmania."

In the end, Tasmania's first innings total of 141 was not a notable improvement on its scores of 100 and 82 in the much-discussed game between the teams on a much more capricious pitch earlier in the season.

According to Cox, it was a surrender.

"To lose eight wickets in a session is just unforgivable," he remarked of his team's capitulation during a disastrous 80-minute burst after tea.

"We didn't cope at all. We just surrendered our wickets.

"We've now got to be really good early tomorrow or the game's over. We can't afford to let them to get too far ahead; we've got one crack left."

Paceman Shane Jurgensen (5/68) had earlier bowled with great heart and discipline of his own to ignite a Queensland slide that saw six wickets tumble for 49 in the morning session. The tall right armer quickly removed dangerman Symonds (91) to cut short his 155-run, fifth wicket union with Queensland captain Stuart Law (69), offering the visitors a window of opportunity as they attempted to fight their way back into the match.

But the walls quickly came crashing in again around the Tigers.

In the end, their early revival was no more than a prelude to a demonstration of the reasons that Queensland is so hard to beat at this time of year and why it is now within a whisker of a fifth title in eight years.

Kasprowicz and company had turned the teams' denouement into something akin to a demolition.