Blues stars struggling against Bulls

New South Wales 184 and 5 for 121 lead Queensland 256 (Burns 64, Khawaja 54, Hartley 54) by 49 runs
Scorecard

Shane Watson's calf injury scare overshadowed an indifferent performance by a star-studded New South Wales side as Queensland edged towards an outright victory in the Sheffield Shield match in Brisbane.

Giving up first innings points as the Bulls pushed to 256 in reply to 184, the Blues faded to 5 for 121 by the close only 49 runs in credit with only the wicketkeeper Peter Nevill left among the recognised batsmen. Watson left the field and the ground for scans on a sore left calf, and may not bat in the second innings.

Queensland's first innings was sustained by a trio of useful innings by Usman Khawaja, Joe Burns and the wicketkeeper Chris Hartley, allowing the hosts to build a lead of 72.

The Blues made a promising start to their second knock, rolling swiftly along to parity before David Warner exited for a flashy 39. Wickets fell regularly from that point however, the Australian captain Michael Clarke making only 28 before pushing at Cameron Gannon and edging behind.