Straker, Swepson trump Brasher in possible Shield final preview

Four wickets to young gun Tom Straker and three to Mitchell Swepson helped Queensland outlast a defiant 72 from Victoria debutant Dylan Brasher to secure a second victory against the Sheffield Shield leaders this season and push them one step closer a second successive final despite their injury list piling up.

Brasher tried his best to shepherd Victoria's tail to victory at the MCG after starting the day needing 92 to win, chasing 242, with just four wickets in hand. He survived a very close lbw shout first ball off Michael Neser before settling in alongside Fergus O'Neill. The pair chipped away to add 33 for the seventh wicket but survived some nervous moments. O'Neill nicked a ball through a vacant second slip and then should have been run out when Neser missed a direct hit chance from gully.

But in the crucial overs before the second new ball, Swepson turned the game. He had O'Neill trapped lbw trying to sweep a full legbreak. Sam Elliott then miscued a lofted drive to mid-off to leave Victoria 182 for 8 when the new ball was taken.

Todd Murphy cracked 15 off 17 including a towering six off Straker into the midwicket stands. But Neser hit the top of his off stump with one of the best balls of the match, a wobble seam delivery from around the wicket that angled into middle and straightened past the outside edge to castle the left-hander.

Brasher had been happy to trust his partners until that point but with 43 required and only David Moody for company he took the bulk of the strike. But on 72 with 37 to win, he drilled a drive straight to Marnus Labuschagne at deep extra cover to end his debut match heart-broken.

"Either side it was four, but that's the game," Brasher said after his debut performance. "Feel super proud and obviously do it out here was awesome, but 30 or 40 short in the end isn't ideal. Not really sure how to fill the moment."

His coach Chris Rogers was full of praise for the 24-year-old after he translated his prolific run-scoring at premier cricket and state second XI level into Sheffield Shield cricket.

"It wasn't just the fact he got 70-odd, it was the manner in which he did it, and the calmness and the composure and even the game style, I thought, is suited to to first-class cricket," Rogers said. "He will be disappointed right now, but he should be very, very proud of his efforts and we're really pleased that he has shown a lot of us how good he can be at this level."

Brasher's performance has caused Rogers a huge selection headache. Victoria still look poised to host the Sheffield Shield final despite the loss. Queensland have closed the gap on the table but they are still two wins clear with three games remaining.

They are set to welcome back Scott Boland and captain Will Sutherland for the game against Western Australia after both were rested this week with Boland coming off the Ashes and Sutherland managing an ankle niggle.

They will also get Ollie Peake back from the Under-19s World Cup while Matt Short has become available after being dropped from Australia's T20 World Cup squad, but Short is unlikely to be available for either round 10 or the final if they make it due to IPL commitments with Chennai Super Kings.

Tom Rogers could also be available as he is likely to have recovered from the minor fracture in his right little finger that saw him subbed out of the game against Queensland on day one. Marcus Harris remains unavailable as he continues to recover from back surgery but he is understood to be hopeful for round nine or 10.

"It's a very tricky situation, and I think we're going to have a couple of very disappointed players," Rogers said.

While Victoria have an embarrassment of riches, Queensland are testing their depth despite beating Victoria again to move clear of the pack of teams chasing a spot in the final.

Queensland coach Johan Botha was proud of his team's efforts and praised the performances of Straker and opener Hugo Burdon in particular. But he confirmed their fast-bowling depth was a huge concern with three rounds to go.

Tom Whitney has been ruled out of the remainder of the year with a stress fracture in his foot and Gurinder Sandhu is set to miss the rest of the year with a knee injury. Mark Steketee is also out for the whole season with a hamstring injury while Callum Vidler is unlikely to recover from the stress fracture that saw him miss the first half of the season. Xavier Bartlett is also unlikely to be available again due to international duty and then the IPL.

"We've been very, very much challenged," Botha said post-match. "We're going to have to rely on the guys that played in this game, and hopefully a couple of others back in Brisbane.

"We're going to have to hope and pray that Michael Neser doesn't go anywhere and doesn't get injured, and these young guys can go with him, which is great to see this game. Jem Ryan on debut was really good. Strakes was very good in probably only his tenth shield game. And Kerry [Hayden Kerr] hasn't played a lot for us, he's obviously come to us from New South and he did a good job in this game."

On a batting front, Jack Clayton has a knee issue that may not be resolved before season's end and Botha was unsure when Matt Renshaw would be available after the T20 World Cup, but he is hopeful it will coincide with Usman Khawaja's likely absence in round 10 when his wife is due to give birth to their third child.