Jackson Bird was a whisker away from a Sheffield Shield hat-trick as NSW and three-time defending champions Western Australia traded day one blows in Perth.
Sent in at the WACA, the hosts were bowled out for 196 on Thursday as the season’s leading wicket-taker Bird finished with 3-22 off 15.5 overs.
The Blues stumbled to stumps at 3-17 though, with Sam Konstas (6), Nic Maddinson (4) and nightwatcher Ryan Hadley (1) out as Lance Morris (2-2 off three overs) bowled with serious pace.
Earlier, former Test quick Bird was cruelly denied a hat-trick, with Cameron Gannon chopping a ball back perilously close to his leg stump after Bird had dismissed Ashton Turner and Joel Paris.
Bird, who turns 39 in December, played the most recent of his nine Tests in 2017.
He went wicketless in the Shield season opener last year but has bulldozed through batting line-ups in his six games since with a Shield-leading 33 wickets at an average of 13.36.
The Warriors were 7-139 before Gannon’s (19) useful contribution alongside Joel Curtis (42) added to Turner’s (42) good work.
WA are gunning to become the first team to win four-straight Shield titles since the advent of the six-team era with Tasmania’s admission in 1977.
And the regular season’s penultimate round is essentially a must-win for both teams if they are to finish in the top two and reach the final.
Only .24 points separate the Blues and Warriors in second and third, with six points on the line and all six teams still able to finish in the top two.
The hosts started solidly thanks to Cam Bancroft (22) and captain Sam Whiteman (25).
But Blues skipper Jack Edwards (2-49) chipped away and was rewarded, with Ryan Hadley (2-21) backing him up as the Warriors fell from 0-43 to 5-99.
The visitors were unable to capitalise, however. Konstas mistimed a straight drive to be caught at short mid-off before Maddinson was caught behind trying to hook.
Hadley was no match for Morris, pinned on the crease after being driven back by a series of menacing short balls.
Both teams will likely hunt a result, given a draw would almost certainly leave them needing other final-round results to go their way to qualify for the final.
In Melbourne, star quick Scott Boland has struck twice before stumps to put Victoria on top in their Sheffield Shield clash with ladder-leaders South Australia.
After Victoria made 285 on being sent in on a green pitch at the Junction Oval, SA slumped to 2-40 at stumps on Thursday.
Captain Nathan McSweeney (9*) and Jason Sangha (19*) will attempt to dig their team out of trouble when they resume on Friday.
A win in Melbourne would secure SA a home final as they hunt a first Shield title in 29 years.
Victoria’s Campbell Kellaway (79) batted superbly after losing his opening partner Marcus Harris in the second over of the day.
Kellaway and debutant Blake Macdonald (45) put on a 122-run stand before SA hit back by taking 4-16, including 3-0.
But some important middle and lower order runs from Sam Harper (44) and Xavier Crone (34*) ensured Victoria ended with a solid total on a difficult surface.
Despite entering the second-last round in fourth, Victoria still have a good chance to qualify for the final.
Henry Thornton (4-42) and Jordan Buckingham (4-70) did the damage with the ball for SA.
Boland, who starred for Australia in the Border-Gavaskar trophy but missed out on playing a Test in Sri Lanka, bowled SA opener Conor McInerney with the last ball of the first over of the innings.
SA attempted to contain Boland’s brilliance, but Henry Hunt was caught for 1 as they collapsed to 2-8.
McSweeney and Sangha were able to steady and survive until stumps.
Meanwhile, Usman Khawaja has continued his late-season resurgence, scoring a century for Queensland on day one of their must-win Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania.
Khawaja took full toll of a controversial decision early in his innings and was finally dismissed for 127 late on Thursday at Bellerive.
Queensland were well-placed at stumps on 6-309, although the home side fought back with three late wickets.
While Queensland are second-last on the Shield ladder and Tasmania are bottom, either side could still be in contention for the final against SA if they have a big win.
Tasmania won the toss and threatened several times to break through the Queensland top order, but Khawaja batted superbly for his 43rd first-class hundred. It is his first Shield ton since November 2023.
He also survived a massive shout from the Tasmanians when he appeared to edge opening bowler Gabe Bell to keeper Jake Doran.
Khawaja had only made 11 and the home side was aghast when Shawn Craig ruled not out.
The century from 221 balls, with 12 fours and a six, continued the 38-year-old’s form upswing after a tough domestic Test series against India.
He only managed one half-century in the Border-Gavaskar series.
But Khawaja rebounded to post his highest Test score of 232 in Sri Lanka in late January. That solidified his spot ahead of the June Test championship final against South Africa at Lord’s and next summer’s domestic Ashes series.
“It was pretty tough, pretty much the whole time. It’s quite green and pretty soft, but it was good to bat with Uzzy – he’s awesome to bat with,” said teammate Lachlan Hearne.
“It was good fun out there.”
Khawaja and Hearne put on 110 for the fourth wicket, before Bell gained some revenge when he had the opener caught by Beau Webster at second slip.
Hearne made 74, his highest first-class score, but a century went begging when he was run out on a quick single that wasn’t there.
Kieran Elliott’s outstanding throw from side-on was a direct hit.
Jimmy Peirson was also dismissed in the last over, leaving Michael Neser and Jake Wildermuth the not out batsmen. They will aim to take the score past 350 on Friday.
“It was a bit annoying, me personally getting run out there and Jimmy at the end. But six for 300, we’d probably take that at the start of the day,” Hearne said.
Webster claimed 3-54 from 19 overs and was the only multiple wicket taker.
© AAP