New South Wales defeated Victoria by 76 runs in a Sheffield Shield match, with notable performances from Scott Boland (6 for 46) and Jackson Bird (5 for 68). NSW posted scores of 238 and 174, while Victoria managed 182 and 154, collapsing early in their final innings with none of their top five scoring in double figures. Bird’s performance took him to the milestone of 400 wickets, joining an elite group of bowlers. After the loss, Victoria’s coach Chris Rogers highlighted their batting issues and the impact of missed opportunities, leaving them facing a challenging path to the finals.
New South Wales scored 238 (Davies 89, Boland 4-56) and 174 (Gilkes 49, Boland 6-46), defeating Victoria, who posted 182 (Bird 3-24) and 154 (Murphy 40, Bird 5-68), by 76 runs.
On the third day, Bird delivered an impressive performance, taking 5 for 68, exploiting a difficult wicket as Victoria was bowled out for 154 while chasing 230. Todd Murphy’s late surge, scoring 40 off 32 balls, only slightly reduced the deficit.
Bird’s initial wicket in the final innings came when he induced an edge from Marcus Harris, marking a significant milestone as he joined Clarrie Grimmett, Michael Kasprowicz, Andy Bichel, and Jo Angel in the 400-victory club.
“I guess it just shows I’ve been around for quite some time,” Bird remarked. “Reaching milestones is nice, but achieving a solid win like this with the team makes it even more meaningful. It’s a fantastic team accomplishment.”
“Being part of the [400] club feels good. However, my primary focus is on winning a Sheffield Shield, as I’ve never won one. That ambition is what keeps me motivated to continue playing at my age.”
At 38, Bird mentioned that the decision regarding the continuation of his career would be made at the season’s conclusion. “Right now, I’m approaching it one game at a time,” he stated. “I felt quite drained after this match. I don’t want to overstretch my time in the game. Whether I can muster another pre-season mentally is still uncertain. If I do play next year, my availability might look a bit different.”
Victoria’s top five failed to reach double digits, slipping to 31 for 5, a situation that effectively sealed their fate. Bird had Tom Rogers caught at first slip, Harry Dixon misplayed a pull shot, and he forced Peter Handscomb to glove a sharply rising delivery. He later dismissed Fergus O’Neill for his fifth wicket, wrapping up the match with a season tally of 30 wickets at an average of 13.96.
This victory propelled NSW into second place in what appears to be a competitive race to face South Australia in the final. For Victoria, this marks their third consecutive defeat, complicating their path to the final with challenging matches against leaders SA and an away fixture against Western Australia ahead.
“Dropping Ollie Davies in the first innings was quite costly for us,” coach Chris Rogers commented. “Our batting struggled as we lost numerous wickets during critical moments, falling short of the standards needed to win matches. We have many questions to address.”
“I didn’t envision us being in this situation before playing our last Shield game against Queensland prior to the BBL break. We’ve only ourselves to blame for our position. It’s frustrating and demonstrates the competitiveness of this league. We’ve let too many important situations slip by, and we need to investigate why that is the case.”
Andrew McGlashan is a deputy editor at ESPNcricinfo