Tasmania suffer early wobbles in small chase before rain arrives
Jackson Bird took 4 for 65 to leave Tasmania needing just 139 to win but Victoria took two quick wickets
ESPNcricinfo staff
02-Nov-2019
Jackson Bird celebrates a wicket • Getty Images
Tasmania 226 & 2 for 31 need 108 more runs to beat Victoria 127 and 237 (Harris 60, Handscomb 52, Bird 4-65)
Early strikes from Victoria quicks Peter Siddle and Chirs Tremain put Tasmania on the back foot in their small chase before rain arrived in Hobart.
Tasmania needed just 139 to win in the fourth innings after bowling Victoria out for 237 in their second innings. But their chase was rocked first ball when Beau Webster was caught by Will Pucovski off Siddle.
Tremain and Siddle tightened the screws under very dark skies to build pressure on Tasmania's top order. Alex Doolan and Charlie Wakim scored just one boundary between them in 87 deliveries.
Doolan eventually made an error in judgement opting to leave a late inswinger from Tremain to be trapped lbw. That was the last ball bowled for the day as rain sent the players off and they never returned.
Earlier in the day, Jackson Bird picked up two of the last four wickets of Victoria's second innings to finish with 4 for 65 but the visitor's tail wagged to give them a target to defend.
Sam Harper and Tremain only made 17 and 14 respectively but they frustrated Tasmania with obdurate occupation before Siddle and Scott Boland added 39 for the ninth wicket. Boland made 24 while Siddle finished with 21 to give themselves something to bowl at.