Prospective Ashes debutant Jake Weatherald made a rapid 23 from 31 balls before dragging a ball onto his stumps for Tasmania against South Australia in the final round of Sheffield Shield games before the first Test in Perth.
Batting on a green Bellerive Oval pitch after the Tigers were sent in to bat, Weatherald played out a maiden over from fellow Test squad member Brendan Doggett before getting into stride.
Jake Weatherald was out early for Tasmania.Credit: Getty Images
Weatherald edged a fortunate boundary through the slips cordon before he hammered a cover drive from all-rounder Liam Scott to get to 23.
The next ball was shorter and tighter to the stumps, cramping Weatherald for room and he dragged it on. An annoyed Weatherald wheeled quickly on his heels to walk back to the dressing room.
In Sydney, Mitchell Starc shared the new ball with Josh Hazlewood for NSW against Victoria and struck early on when he had Harry Dixon lbw for 20 with a sharply swinging yorker.
Sean Abbott, another reserve quick in the Ashes squad, bowled at first change for the Blues.
Victoria won the toss and elected to bat after a farcical coin toss from Blues skipper Steve Smith.
In a light-hearted moment, Smith appeared to drop the coin as he tried to flick it up. It fell on the ground, but the toss still counted, with Victorian captain Will Sutherland calling correctly.
Nathan Lyon struck in his first over, removing Marcus Harris for five thanks to a sharp catch at short leg by Sam Konstas. Victoria were 2-45 after 15 overs.
More to come
