Record-breaking Maxwell gets Victoria home

Victoria 9 for 259 (Wade 67, Maxwell 61, Drew 3-58) beat Tasmania 6 for 258 (Cosgrove 120, Bailey 107) by 1 wicket
Scorecard

Glenn Maxwell blasted the fastest half-century in Australia's domestic one-day history to give Victoria a remarkable one-wicket win after Tasmania seemed certain of victory. Centuries to Mark Cosgrove and George Bailey drove the Tigers to 6 for 258, and when Maxwell came in with the score at 6 for 157 with less than 10 overs remaining, Victoria appeared sunk.

But Maxwell, whose previous best score for the Bushrangers was 33, singlehandedly smashed his side back into the contest with a 19-ball half-century, that beat a 20-year-old record set by David Hookes for South Australia back in 1990-91. Hookes' fifty had come off 21 deliveries, and Maxwell beat it by jamming a Ben Hilfenhaus yorker away to square leg for two.

Eventually Maxwell fell for 61 from 27 balls, when he slammed Hilfenhaus to the midwicket boundary and was taken by Bailey, but by then Victoria needed only 18 off 11, though with only one wicket in hand. Some clever batting by Peter Siddle, who reverse-paddled Hilfenhaus for four, meant Victoria needed seven from the last over, bowled by Brendan Drew.

Siddle and Jon Holland dealt in singles until they needed one from the final delivery, which Siddle (25 not out), pushed successfully behind point. It was a disappointing way to end the match for Tasmania's captain Bailey, who had made his third one-day century and together with Cosgrove set up what should have been a local triumph.

Cosgrove made 120 and Bailey scored 107, but the only reward for Tasmania was the single point for being ahead at the halfway mark. The opener Matthew Wade made 67 to keep Victoria in the hunt, before Maxwell's heroics paid off.