Khawaja 88 gives Queensland third straight win

Queensland 3 for 145 (Khawaja 88*, Tye 2-36) beat Western Australia 9 for 212 (Marsh 119) by 35 runs according to D/L
Scorecard

An unbeaten fifty from Usman Khawaja, his fourth fifty of the tournament, helped Queensland to their third successive win in the Ryobi Cup, after beating Western Australia by 35 runs according to D/L in a rain-affected match in Sydney. The match had been reduced to 46 overs per side due to rain. This is the final round of matches, and as Queensland are at the top of the table, they will go through to the final, while Victoria and New South Wales proceed to the elimination final, with the winner facing Queensland for the overall final on October 27.

Khawaja's knock had powered Queensland to a comfortable 3 for 145 after 29.5 overs, and they were well on course to reaching the target of 213 before a second spell of rain put a premature end to the contest. Queensland, who were 36 runs ahead of the par score, were subsequently awarded the victory, and topped the table after finishing with five wins and just a solitary loss to Tasmania from their six group matches. The result left Western Australia rooted at the bottom, with just one win to their credit.

Khawaja has been in fine touch of late, having struck three fifties on the trot against Victoria, Tasmania and New South Wales, and his 88 today went a long way in helping Queensland establish a firm hold. He struck 12 fours and one six during the innings, and added 60 for the third wicket with Nathan Reardon, before the players were taken off the field.

Western Australia, put into bat, had earlier got to a bad start, as the opener Cameron Bancroft was trapped lbw by Ryan Harris in the fifth over. Marsh however fought on, and slammed 5 sixes and 12 fours as he made a valiant 129-ball 119 - more than half of the team's total.

It was Marsh's third consecutive fifty-plus score of the series, after making 54 against South Australia and blasting a match-winning 84 against Tasmania on Saturday. However, a 74-run stand with Hilton Cartwright aside, he did not receive much support from the other end. Ryan Harris, Nathan Hauritz, Matthew Gale and Ben Cutting each finished with two wickets, as Western Australia were restricted to 9 for 212 in their 46 overs.