Campbell and Harvey put Western Australia on top

Close Tasmania 3 for 192 (Dighton 63*, Watson 51*) trail Western Australia 6 for 562 dec (Campbell 134, North 118, Harvey 100*) by 370 runs
Scorecard

Western Australia remorselessly piled on the runs on the second day of their four-day match against Tasmania at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart. Riding on hundreds by Ryan Campbell and Kade Harvey - to add to the 118 by Marcus North on the first day - Western Australia declared on 6 for 562. In reply, Tasmania slumped to 3 for 87 before Michael Dighton and Shane Watson bailed them out with an undefeated 105-run stand, lifting the total to 3 for 192.

Tasmania's day started superbly, when North was dismissed off the third ball of the day without adding to his overnight score. Then, the misery began, as Campbell and Harvey put together 189 for the sixth wicket. Campbell's 134 came off just 132 balls, and included 15 fours and three sixes, while Harvey finished on an unbeaten 100, scored from 127 balls.

John Taylor then struck two quick blows when Tasmania came out to bat, dismissing Scott Mason and Jamie Cox cheaply. Michael Di Venuto made just 21, before Dighton and Watson rebuilt the innings, ensuring that Tasmania ended the day with a reasonably respectable total on the board.

Tasmania's coach Brian McFadyen reckoned the pitch favoured the batsmen rather than bowlers, and it would take a fair bit of work to secure an outright result. "If you look at the games that have been played here, there have still been 20 wickets or thereabouts taken in a lot of the games," he said. "So it's not impossible to take wickets, but it is hard work."

Justin Langer, WA's captain, said such conditions were becoming a concern right across Australia. "The fact that [Tasmania] haven't taken 20 wickets all season here, says it is a batsman-friendly wicket," he said. "But I would rather play on this that what I have played on here the last two years."