Webster's strike keeps Tasmania ahead after Bancroft gives WA hope

Beau Webster bent his back to end the stubborn resistance of Western Australia skipper Sam Whiteman late on day three as Tasmania edged closer to a vital Sheffield Shield victory.

Needing 345 runs to pull off an unlikely fourth innings chase, WA put up a fight in an improvement for an underperforming batting-order. But after a 116-run opening partnership between Whiteman and Cameron Bancroft, they lost 4 for 39 in a familiar collapse as Tasmania moved firmly back in the box seat.

Aaron Hardie and Teague Wyllie did well to get through the final hour and give WA hope, fuelled by a WACA surface that appeared less menacing after batting had been tough work across the opening two days.

The two bottom-placed desperately need an outright win to keep in touch with the pointy end of the ladder.

After taking more than an hour to pick up the final wicket of Tasmania's second innings, Bancroft and Whiteman faced a testing 35-minute period before lunch but looked relatively untroubled.

Even though the surface was more benign, veteran quick Jackson Bird threatened by finding a hint of movement during a probing spell in the middle session.

But Bancroft and Whiteman held firm as they wound back the clock to their heyday during WA's hat-trick of Shield titles. There was a notable contrast in their approaches with Bancroft's fluency underlined by sweetly timed pull shots and lovely straight drives.

Whiteman was more content with stonewalling as he tried desperately to work his way back into form. His tough season continued earlier in the match when he fell for a golden duck in the first innings, albeit to a contentious lbw decision.

Whiteman only scored 9 off his first 50 balls, but the scoreboard kept ticking over with Bancroft notching a 106-ball half-century. He attacked offspinner Raf MacMillan, playing his second Shield match, and smashed a mighty blow into the seats over the long-on boundary.

The experienced opening pair ensured a wicketless session, a rare occurrence on the ground this season. But Tasmania reset after the tea break. Bancroft had appeared on his way to a century until he nicked off on 74 to seamer Gabe Bell with Jake Doran taking a sensational catch keeping up at the stumps.

After his short ball was swatted for six, Billy Stanlake had immediate revenge when Sam Fanning poked a sharp back of a length delivery to first slip.

Whiteman started to go through the gears and moved to a half-century, just his third from 14 Shield innings this season.

But Whiteman's 143-ball defiance ended when he was late on a pull shot and was caught behind off a short delivery from the hardworking Webster. Hilton Cartwright, another underperforming WA batter this season, was pinned down before losing concentration and holing out to MacMillian in a tame dismissal.

WA appeared down and out before Hardie and Wyille combined for an unbroken 42-run partnership.

Earlier, there had been a prevailing belief that this would be the final day of the match given Tasmania's overnight ascendancy with a seemingly big lead of 290 runs in a low-scoring contest.

Tasmania tightened their stranglehold with Doran and Stanlake frustrating WA as they made batting look relatively easy in the opening 75 minutes of the day's play.

Jhye Richardson started with a four-over spell but could not produce the breakthrough he needed to claim a deserved five-wicket innings haul after a spectacular effort late on day two. He finished with 4 for 54 from 19 overs in his first Shield match in 15 months following his successful return from back surgery.

The diminutive Doran reached a well-compiled half-century by guiding a short ball for six and he had strong support from Stanlake, who in the first innings made 11 not out to set a new high score in his first-class career.

He set a new landmark to finish unbeaten on 13 as the 60-run partnership ended when Doran on 74 fell to a sharp catch by Bancroft at midwicket. Bancroft then sprinted off the ground knowing there was a lot of work ahead to save WA's season.