A heavyweight clash between domestic season standouts Queensland and New South Wales will decide hosting rights for the Marsh One-Day Cup final, and could see the loser miss out altogether.
Queensland’s victory over South Australia in Brisbane on Sunday fired them a point clear of the Blues atop the one-day standings, though the Bulls were left to rue being a solitary run away from a second bonus point that would have all but secured them a berth in next month’s final.
Wednesday’s clash at North Sydney Oval between the Bulls and the Blues – the teams that also sit in the top two spots on the Sheffield Shield standings with a game to play – now shapes as a playoff to host the 50-over decider on April 11.
A Queensland win will see the final played at Brisbane’s Allan Border Field, while a NSW victory will see them host at Sydney’s Bankstown Oval.
It will mark the final game of the season for the Blues’ Indian Premier League-bound players, with NSW to confirm which of Pat Cummins, David Warner, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques and Steve Smith will play.
“You never come into a game trying to get a double bonus point but it was on a plate for us to take it,” Marnus Labuschagne, whose 80-ball 82 laid the foundation for Queensland’s 160-run win over SA, said Sunday.
“It just means we have to go to New South Wales and play some very good cricket … It’s always nice to be playing a full-strength NSW team, that always gets the blood going.”
Smith (elbow) and Sean Abbott (finger) remain under injury clouds for NSW, while the Bulls will not be able to call on Mitch Swepson (neck).
Queensland however have no contracted players heading to the IPL and will be at close to full strength should they make the 50-over final for a second successive season.
MARSH ONE-DAY CUP STANDINGS
They sit top of the Marsh Cup standings on 15 points with a healthy net run-rate advantage over the rest of the competition, with NSW in second on 14 points.
But defeat for either side could see them miss the final, with Western Australia (11 points) and Tasmania (10 points) within striking distance in third and fourth spot respectively.
Reigning champions WA and the Tigers will have a clearer idea of what they will need to do to make the final when they face off next week at the WACA Ground following their Sheffield Shield clash.
WA stormed back into contention last week with a 170-run, double bonus-point win over Victoria last week and may need a large margin of victory in their last game if NSW defeat Queensland on Wednesday.
The Vics and the Redbacks’ match at the Junction Oval next week is a dead rubber, with SA coach Jason Gillespie desperate to ensure his side do not go through the season without a victory.
“The lads aren’t enjoying losing. The coaching staff, our supporters are not enjoying it,” said Gillespie, whose side are also winless in the Sheffield Shield.
“We’ve got to find that balance: we want to win now but we also want to make sure we’re putting plans in place to develop our team and squad for the future, so we’ve got some success.
“Right now … that performance is unacceptable and we need to do something about it.”