I’ve just seen one of the more puzzling captaincy decisions in my many years of following cricket.
Tasmania has just rolled NSW for 32 - the fourth-lowest Sheffield Shield innings total ever - to lead by 301 runs on the first innings.
Sean Abbott didn’t bat due to injury, while Jackson Bird took a career-best 7-18 off 10 overs (Bird had earlier made 54, his highest first-class score).
Yet Tim Paine (who made 87 in Tassie’s innings) has elected not to enforce the follow-on.
I’m sure Bird (in particular), Peter Siddle and Sam Rainbird - after a combined 19.3 overs - would’ve been itching to attack the Blues again.
Let’s hope the inclement weather the east coast is currently experiencing (and my thoughts go out to those who’ve been flooded out) doesn’t reach Hobart and cost Tassie an outright win.
Ever since Steve Waugh enforced the follow-on in Calcutta 20 years ago and VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid (bat) and Harbhajan Singh and Sachin Tendulkar (ball) contributed to India winning the unwinnable Test, captains at all levels of first-class cricket have been reluctant to enforce the follow-on.
Agree ADGM, however in trying to explain their rationale for this decision, you may remember earlier in the season, Tasmania bowled NSW out for 64 on the first day of the match and NSW scored a massive total in their second innings and ended up winning the game. Maybe they are a little burnt by that experience and they want to bat NSW out of the game and not give them the remotest sniff. This game though is different in that NSW batted 2nd and have conceded a significant lead and they only have 10 batsmen because Sean Abbott split the webbing in his finger. The weather forecast looks OK for today and tomorrow but looks a bit dicey for day 4 so they would want to have NSW batting again by early tomorrow, setting them around 450.
Remarkable effort to restrict a team to a total of 32 in senior level cricket - almost looks absurd really
going to tighten up the whole competition if Tasmania can get the outright result and it could explain why Wade didn’t enforce the follow on to some extent
My mistake, Southerner, I incorrectly assumed that Tim Paine and not Matt Wade was the Tasmanian skipper.
Excellent point you make, Mike, about Tassie’s loss after rolling NSW for 64 in Adelaide in November.
It’s quite remarkable that Tassie has twice dismissed the Blues cheaply this season.
I notice that the Blues spinners shared seven wickets, making Day 2 of the game quite remarkable in so far as 22 wickets fell.
You’d think NSW making the required 493 after being rolled for just 32 is beyond them but, to use the old cliche, cricket is a funny game.
Looks like the WA boys have got serious about having a tilt for a Shield Final berth. Have pantsed the Vics so far over three days of cricket including the one dayer. Nice to see Lance Morris get some reward for his bowling. He’s a real trier.
Let’s hope they go in for the kill tomorrow and snuff the contest out. Tassie to come so an outright here sets them up to go real close to getting a finals berth.
AD: I agree , the simplest way to twenty wickets.
Both sides will be playing for a win by necessity at the WACA tomorrow, Ark.
However, I think our bowlers should be able to take the remaining nine Vic wickets.
AD: you picked it perfectly; I am glad we got there in the end; well done to the bowlers on getting the twenty wickets on a good pitch.
With the top two Queensland and NSW playing each other, Ark, an outright win against Tasmania will have WA in the final.
Who knows where the final will be held if the COVID situation in Brisbane persists, though the Bulls first have to qualify.
So let me understand this then-
A WA 2nd XI missing Australian ODI/T20 reps- M.Marsh (WA Capt), Turner (WA V/C), Phillipe, Stoinis, Short, Agar, J.Richardson, Behrendorff & Tye gave the self proclaimed “Sporting Capital Of The World” Victoria a mother of a hiding in both the Sheffield Shield by nearly 300 runs & Marsh Cup (double bonus point) by over 170 runs this last week!?
Although we are not as deluded, ignorant nor big headed as the Vics but maybe it is WA that should have the real “Sporting Capital of Oceania” title! 
Where has this sort of performance been all season ???
and so there is one last glimmer of a chance to get into a decider
hope it’s not like the past few seasons where the arse falls right out at the death
maybe this will be that year it finally ends
WA has won two and drawn five of seven games to be the only unbeaten Shield team, though they were lucky to escape with a draw against perennial strugglers SA.
Remarkably, the ladder order is the same in both the Shield and one-day competitions: Qld, NSW, WA, Tas, Vic and SA.
And in each comp, it’s 1 v 2, 3 v 4 and 5 v 6 to finish the regular season.
An outright win will guarantee WA a place in the Shield final, but Tassie could even sneak in if they thrash WA and Queensland belts the living suitcases out of NSW.
In the one-day comp, WA needs to defeat Tassie and rely on Queensland beating NSW to seal a spot in the final.
Of course, bonus points could be a factor, giving WA a chance of playing in the final even if NSW wins.
And Tassie isn’t out of the one-day picture either.
SA has a slight chance of getting out of the Shield cellar if they thrash the Vics, while the loser of their one-day match will definitely finish last.
Good post, AD. Did Inverarity’s side go for quite a few seasons without losing outright? This should be the first aim of any decent cricket side.
I think WA had at least one, probably two, unbeaten Shield seasons under John Inverarity, Ark.
We won the Shield five times in the 1970s, though I believe Invers was teaching in England during the 1976-77 triumph.
Once I clear a few work commitments I’ll look up my dusty and dog-eared cricket yearbooks.
Cheers, AD, that would be appreciated very much.
I was puzzled by WA’s decision to put Tasmania in to bat at the WACA today. Their wins this year have been set up by batting first, putting up a solid first innings score and dictating the game from there. Maybe they thought that they could roll the Tasmanians quickly given the humid weather. Didn’t work unfortunately and unless they can take early wickets with the new ball tomorrow and dismiss them for under 300, the Warriors will find themselves chasing the game for the last 3 days.
Meanwhile NSW posted a solid first day score against Queensland but there is a major rain storm due to hit the NSW coast on Monday which could well wash out this day and perhaps the tuesday. There is a spot in the final there for WA’s taking. What we will find out in the next 3 days is whether they are good enough to claim it.
Fingers crossed it buckets down in Wollongong on Monday and Tuesday, Mike.
We seem to be set for good weather for the next three days, so hopefully WA can dismiss Tassie for under 300 and then score at a brisk rate, knowing that a draw will effectively be a loss.
Of course, if WA wins outright and NSW and Queensland play out a draw, the Shield final will be held in Perth.
[quote=“ArkRoyal post=202480”]Cheers, AD, that would be appreciated very much.
Ark, I checked out the ESPNcricinfo website and WA went the equivalent of three seasons without losing a match.
WA was unbeaten in the last four games of the 1975-76 season (2 wins, 2 draws), won the 1976-77 Sheffield Shield (6 wins, 2 draws) under Rod Marsh and Ian Brayshaw’s captaincy, and won under John Inverarity in 1977-78 (7 wins, 2 draws).
Opposing captains adopted a cautious approach in 1978-79, with WA winning only one and drawing five of their first six games.
Needing to win outright, Inverarity declared twice against Tasmania in Devonport.
Tassie was 6-187 chasing a target of 357, but Roger Woolley (99no) and Jack Simmons (78no) got the home side across the line for their first-ever Shield match win.
So, WA’s 27-game unbeaten run (16 wins, 11 draws) was over.
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WA’s chances of making the shield final are ebbing away as Tasmania continue to pile on the runs. There was a small window of opportunity when they dismissed Wade and Paine relatively quickly but they are now dealing with another partnership between Doran and Webster. The Warriors look like they will be chasing 400+ and if so they may have to declare behind in order to open up the game and give Tasmania a chance of victory. A draw is useless to WA.
Tasmania cannot get into the final so they are making sure WA don’t - those extra points missed out on against SA who are rock bottom looking like the killer blow
No choice other than to declare early and hope Wade has some sort of spirit
and they aren’t good hopes to pin one iota upon sadly