News

MacGill bowls NSW into commanding position

BRISBANE, March 15 AAP - Stuart MacGill spun Queensland into a Pura Cup nightmare today as New South Wales' hardened Test men set the Bulls up for a final drubbing at the Gabba

Michael Crutcher
15-Mar-2003
BRISBANE, March 15 AAP - Stuart MacGill spun Queensland into a Pura Cup nightmare today as New South Wales' hardened Test men set the Bulls up for a final drubbing at the Gabba.
The Blues were almost out of reach after two days of cricket when MacGill wrecked Queensland with a haul of 5-16 in 32 balls.
On the 10th anniversary of their dreadful collapse for 75 in the Sheffield Shield final at the SCG, the Bulls were knocked over for a commemorative 84 in their first innings, avoiding the follow-on by just one run.
The Blues, who squeezed 282 from their first dig, were 4-166 in their second innings at stumps.
They lead Queensland by 364 runs with another three days remaining and Steve Waugh (47 not out) and Mark Waugh (20 not out) perhaps batting together for the last time in their long first-class careers.
Steve announced at the lunch break he wanted to continue his Test career in the Caribbean next month but Mark has admitted this could be his last match.
He looks certain to go out a winner because the Bulls will have to negotiate MacGill in the second innings along with the support cast that finally brought the home team's batting undone.
Queensland had ridden on the back of Clinton Perren and some relatively modest returns from Martin Love since Christmas, while its other frontline batsmen had not been up to scratch.
They were all thrown onto beggars' row today by a team driven by players who have enjoyed record-breaking success with the Australian Test team.
Steve Waugh, for all that experience, was still annoyed by comments from an unruly spectator and stopped the match to ask umpire Peter Parker to refer his complaint to security staff.
The security men headed into the stands while Waugh carried on towards another half-century, losing young gun Michael Clarke along the way for his second failure.
Clarke, who hopes to tour the Caribbean with Waugh next month, was out for a duck yesterday before giving up his wicket for 11 to Michael Kasprowicz (2-53) today in a reckless knock.
The bash-and-hope method had worked earlier in the day when Don Nash (34) and Stuart Clark (27) took on Queensland's attack in the Blues' first innings.
They raced through a 49-run stand - valuable support to the towering 191-run partnership between Michael Slater and Simon Katich - which has proved the difference between the teams.
Without that stand, NSW would have been in strife because its last nine wickets fell for 89 runs in the first innings.
Slater had less luck in the second innings, falling for just two from the fourth ball of Kasprowicz's first over.
But the Blues were already firing by then following the excellent work of MacGill.
The Test leg-spinner pleaded for a hat-trick when he thought Joe Dawes had been caught behind but umpire Parker turned down the appeal.
MacGill had claimed Ashley Noffke (zero) and Kasprowicz (zero) from the previous two deliveries while Perren (15) and Brendan Nash (eight) were his first victims.
Noffke had a rough day, heading to hospital this morning because of a vomiting virus.
He returned to bat but was unable to bowl, leaving Queensland chugging with only three specialist bowlers.