Labuschagne, Renshaw miss out before stalemate is called
There had been little prospect of a result but Jhye Richardson continued his impressive comeback
AAP
01-Dec-2023
Potential future Test opener Matt Renshaw fell cheaply on the final day • Getty Images
Queensland 274 for 8 dec (Khawaja 102*, Clayton 53, Richardson 4-36) and 137 for 3 (Burns 62*) drew with Western Australia 330 (Cartwright 132, Green 96, Sandhu 5-77, Steketee 4-50)
Marnus Labuschagne missed the chance to spend extended time at the crease as the Sheffield Shield clash between Queensland and Western Australia ended in an unavoidable draw.
Both captains shook hands at tea on day four at the Gabba with Queensland at 137 for 3 in their second innings and holding an overall lead of 81.
The loss of two sessions on the opening day due to rain and then more time lost on Wednesday because of bad light meant a result was never likely.
Only three wickets fell on the final day - Matt Renshaw, Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja. Joe Burns and Jack Clayton guided Queensland safely to tea before the match was declared a draw.
Labuschagne was dismissed for a duck in the first innings, and he was out five minutes before lunch on Friday when he top-edged Charlie Stobo straight to Sam Fanning with a miscued pull shot.
With the start of the three-Test series against Pakistan less than two weeks away, a long stint in the middle facing the red ball would have been a crucial aid to Labuschagne's preparations.
Although Khawaja also failed to post a notable score, he at least faced 215 balls for his unbeaten 102 in the first innings.
WA quick Jhye Richardson, playing his first Shield match in a year, followed up his first-innings haul of 4 for 36 with 1 for 27 off 11 overs.
Sheffield Shield stats leaders at the break:
— Andrew McGlashan (@andymcg_cricket) December 1, 2023
Bancroft - 512 @ 56.88
McSweeney - 501 @ 45.54
Webster - 498 @ 71.14
Wakim - 443 @ 40.27
Burns - 437 @ 43.70
Tremain - 34 @ 15.20
McAndrew - 30 @ 19.20
Neil-Smith - 25 @ 23.72
Bell - 22 @ 21.27
O'Neill - 21 @ 17.57#SheffieldShield
Star allrounder Cameron Green, who scored 96 with the bat, was miserly with none for 6 from eight overs in Queensland's second innings.
The draw lifted WA (28.22 points) back into second spot, behind only Tasmania (29.77). Queensland (15.12) remain last, with just one win and two draws to show from their opening six matches.
"It was disappointing the first day we got the rain. I think this could have been a really good game if we didn't have that first-day rain," Queensland captain Khawaja said. "We missed out that day, and then we missed out on 20-odd overs the next night because of light. It kind of dulled the game."
WA captain Sam Whiteman was pleased with how his team fought out the match.
"It was amazing to see Jhye Richardson back in WA colours," he said. "He loves playing at the Gabba, and he was super impressive. Disappointing not to get the result this week, but happy with three wins out of six to head into the Big Bash break."