O'Neill and Perry take five each for Victoria
Duo snared five wickets apiece to skittle Queensland for 172 at the MCG while Matt Renshaw made 59
AAP
06-Dec-2024
Mitchell Perry and Fergus O'Neill hold the ball together after both took five-wicket hauls in the same innings • Getty Images
Victoria 43 for 2 (Harris 26*) trail Queensland 172 (Renshaw 59, Perry 5-33, O'Neill 5-51) by 129 runs
Victorian paceman Fergus O'Neill produced an over of magic to put the hosts on top of their Sheffield Shield encounter with Queensland at the MCG.
O'Neill and Mitchell Perry wreaked havoc to skittle Queensland for 172 on Friday, with only Matt Renshaw and tail-ender Mark Steketee putting up any resistance for the Bulls.
Rain brought an early end to day one, with Victoria 43 for 2 when play was called off. Experienced Victorian duo Marcus Harris and Peter Handscomb will resume on Saturday, with Campbell Kellaway and Jonathan Merlo already back in the sheds.
Perry and O'Neill were the stars of the show on Friday. Queensland reached 16 without loss from eight overs before O'Neill snared 3 for 0 in the space of six deliveries.
O'Neill started his rampage by clean bowling Bryce Street for 2 when the opener shouldered arms to a wildly swinging delivery.
Angus Lovell was caught at second slip for a duck three balls later, and Jack Clayton became O'Neill's third victim of the over when he was clean bowled.
Clayton, who like Street had shouldered arms, stood at the crease in disbelief for several seconds after watching the ball swing into the stumps from way outside off.
Renshaw did his best to steady the ship, and Steketee pummelled some handy runs. But there was no stopping O'Neill, who added Jack Wildermuth and Mitch Swepson to his list of victims.
Perry was just as good on the way to his career-best bowling figures in a first-class match. The 24-year-old snared the key scalps of Ben McDermott and Jimmy Peirson in the space of three balls as Queensland crashed to 5 for 56. Perry removed Renshaw later in the innings.