Maher leads Queensland to 99-run victory

Queensland 6 for 283 (Maher 107, Perren 94*, Tait 3-48) beat South Australia 184 (Davison 55, Symonds 3-37, Hauitz 3-23) by 99 runs
Scorecard

Queensland's captain Jimmy Maher reminded the national selectors of his one-day worth with a brilliant century to lead the Bulls to a vital 99-run ING Cup win over South Australia at the Gabba. Maher mixed patience with panache to finish with 107, propelling Queensland to 6 for 283 after the Redbacks won the toss and had them on the ropes at 4 for 70.

The Redbacks looked set for a serious challenge when their opener John Davison (55 from 34 balls) despatched the new ball to all corners of the ground, but SA wasted that launching pad and were bowled out for 184.

Maher, who has tried to cement a place in Australia's limited-overs side for the past two years, became the all-time highest runscorer in Australian domestic cricket during his 135-ball knock. After taking 94 balls to get to 50, Maher smashed 57 from his next 41 deliveries, and surpassed the 2791 runs his fellow left-hander Darren Lehmann has so far scored in interstate limited-overs matches.

But Maher can thank his batting partner Clinton Perren (94 not out from 98 balls) for providing the spark to get him and the Bulls back on track after Shaun Tait (3-48) and Mark Cleary (2-57) both took two early wickets.

Maher had struggled to 20 when Perren entered the fray in the 18th over, but from there they turned on a record rearguard stand. Their fifth-wicket partnership of 180 bettered the 158-run mark set by Tasmania's Jamie Cox and Daniel Marsh against Queensland at Hobart last season, and set a springboard for a late flourish.

Battling at less than four runs an over for the bulk of the innings, the Bulls charged in the final 10 overs, pasting 117 runs, with Perren scoring an astonishing 44 from his last 17 balls.

South Australia, on hte olther hand, started with a boom but petered out quickly after Davison was run out attempting a second run. The match-turning dismissal, courtesy of a pin-point Perren throw from the outfield, saw the Redbacks lose all ten wickets for only 88 runs.

They had been 0 for 96 in the 16th over, with Davison belting four fours and two sixes to bring up the fastest ING Cup half-century of the summer, from only 32 balls. But after he fell, his opening partner Shane Deitz (41 from 58 balls) followed soon after by edging James Hopes to give Wade Seccombe his 100th domestic one-day dismissal, and it was all downhill for South Australia.

Queensland's allrounder Andrew Symonds mixed up medium-pace and offspin to finish with 3 for 37, while offspinner Nathan Hauritz chipped in with 3 for 23.

The victory and the bonus point that went with it, give Queensland nine points from four matches in the competition so far, and lifts them to within striking distance of the joint leaders NSW (five matches) and Western Australia (four), who both have 14 points. South Australia are equal fourth, with nine points from five matches.