In a dramatic turn of events at the Australia One-Day Cup, Western Australia faced an astonishing collapse, losing eight wickets for just one run in their match against Tasmania at the WACA in Perth.
Western Aus, despite featuring experienced players like Cameron Bancroft and Josh Inglis, fell from 52/2 to 53 all out, ending with a total of only 53 runs.
The collapse began when Bancroft was dismissed, sparking a rapid fall of wickets. In just 28 balls, Western Australia’s last eight batters went back to the pavilion, with six players failing to score a single run.
Beau Webster led Tasmania’s bowling attack, claiming six wickets, including five during the collapse. Billy Stanlake supported with three wickets, while Tom Rogers set things in motion by dismissing Aaron Hardie for the first wicket.
Western Australia’s innings had started solidly after Bancroft and D’Arcy Short built a partnership, taking the score to 45/1 after Hardie’s early dismissal.
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But when Short fell, Tasmania seized the chance to apply pressure, leading to a dramatic and unexpected collapse that left Western Australia with a meager total.
Mini-collapse during chase as well
Tasmania chased down their target of 54 with ease, requiring only 8.3 overs to secure victory. Mitchell Owen opened with an aggressive start, but Tasmania experienced a minor stumble, losing three wickets and going from 33/0 to 34/3. However, the experienced Matthew Wade steadied the innings, guiding his team to a comfortable win.
This heavy defeat drops Western Australia to the bottom of the one-day competition table, holding just one win in four games. Tasmania, with this victory, moves up to third, just behind New South Wales and Victoria.
The WACA will soon be back in the spotlight as it hosts the opening Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy between India and Australia on November 22.