Tigers continue to make life tough for the Bulls

Buoyed by Ricky Ponting's career-best score, Tasmania has continued to create headaches for Queensland on day two of the teams' Pura Cup match at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane. At stumps, the Tigers have the Bulls pinned firmly on the back foot at 6/258 in reply to the Ponting-inspired total of 403.

After a frustrating day in which several of his batsmen failed to capitalise on good starts, Queensland captain Stuart Law hinted that his team might already have effectively conceded the battle for first innings points. Law may even consider making an early declaration tomorrow in a bid to transform the match into a straight shoot-out for the six points on offer for an outright result.

"We'll wait and see because two points probably isn't enough for us; we only got two from our first game," said Law.

"It depends what happens tomorrow morning because we might lose three quick wickets and we won't have to worry. But if we're still going at lunch, we'll have a look and decide what's best."

Accordingly, it seems that the immediate fate of the match will rest largely in the hands of overnight batsmen Andy Bichel (26*) and Clinton Perren (16*). That pair has already performed a fine job for Queensland, having stabilised things in the lead-up to stumps in the wake of a devastating late afternoon burst from underrated Tigers paceman Damien Wright (3/61).

Wright put the skids under the Queensland middle order, playing a central role in a collapse which saw the wickets of the belligerent Andy Symonds (49), Law (21) and Wade Seccombe (3) fall within eleven runs of one another. Following steady innings from Jimmy Maher (47), Matthew Hayden (41) and Martin Love (31), Symonds and Law had threatened to tear the Tasmanian attack apart. But an error in judgement from Symonds as he drove at the spin of Daniel Marsh (1/29) served as a major setback for the Bulls and - followed as it soon was by Wright's removal of Law and Seccombe - duly paved the way for a rapid turnaround.

Earlier, the masterful performance of Ponting (233) finally met its end in the form of a dubious run out decision. Umpire Tony McQuillan ruled that the Test batsman had narrowly been beaten home by a direct hit from Symonds at cover, but the young Tasmanian looked far from impressed with the verdict. Easier to judge was the form of Bichel (5/126), whose fine bowling throughout the Tasmanian innings resulted in a well deserved five-wicket haul.