Marsh Cup 2019-20: Needing 3 runs with 5 wickets in hand, Tasmania collapse to a 1-run loss against Victoria

Batting collapses are not new in cricket but sometimes, even such collapses are bizarre. On Monday, Tasmania became the latest team to register an incredible collapse in their game against Victoria at the WACA Ground in Perth in Marsh Cup.

Batting collapses aren’t rare in cricket, but Tasmania took it to another level in their domestic one-day match against Victoria at the WACA in Perth on Monday (September 23) in the Marsh Cup. Chasing 186 to win, Jordan Silk’s side needed just five runs to win from 11 overs with five wickets in hand. But they justified cricket’s ill-reputation of ‘uncertain game’ as they lost their second half for just three runs to lose by one run.

From 181 for 5, Tasmania were all out for 184

Earlier, Victoria captain Peter Handscomb won the toss and elected to bat and his team faced trouble at 64 for 5 when all-rounder Will Sutherland’s 66-ball 53 helped them reach 185 in 47.5 overs. In response, Tasmania were well placed at 181 for 5 in the 40th over. But then something incredible happened as the chasers lost their last five wickets in a heap.

Pacers Chris Tremain and Jackson Coleman triggered the collapse with four wickets each. Tasmania’s top-scorer Ben McDermott (78) also fell among the last five wickets and the Victoria cricketers were seen in boundless joy when they picked the final wicket in the form of Nathan Ellis in the 41st over for just one run.

Coleman got James Faulkner dismissed at third man in the first ball of the 40th over and then he got McDermott and Gurinder Sandhu out in the same over. Tremain then finished the job by claiming the wickets of Jackson Bird and Ellis to complete a miraculous victory.

Sutherland was the man of the match for taking two wickets besides his fifty. It was Victoria’s first win in two games after they had lost their first game against Western Australia by 125 runs at the same ground on Saturday. Tasmania next play Western Australia in Perth on Wednesday while Victoria play Queensland in Melbourne on Sunday.