Whiteman hits 104 as Western Australia set Victoria 454 for an improbable win
Victoria 207 and 1 for 43 need another 411 runs against Western Australia 9 for 391 dec and 5 for 269 dec dec
Pacer Matthew Kelly’s strikes and opener Sam Whiteman’s century helped Western Australia consolidate their position against Victoria on the third day of their Sheffield Shield clash in Perth. Western Australia are nine wickets away from victory, while Victoria, lost Travis Dean in their steep chase of 454 to Kelly to finish the day at 43 for 1.
It had started with Victoria at 7 for 186 in their first innings but Kelly and Cameron Gannon wrapped up the tail to bowl them out for 207. Scott Boland couldn’t add to his overnight score of 20, before Will Sutherland followed him back. Both batsmen fell to Kelly who claimed 4 for 43 in the first innings while Lance Morris picked up 3 for 41.
After Western Australia secured a 184-run first-innings lead, their their openers Whiteman and Cameron Bancroft, who hit 113 in the first innings, built on it with a partnership of 164, which came at nearly four runs an over. Whiteman was the first to reach his half-century when he hit Jon Holland for a four in the 26th over. Bancroft wasn’t to be left behind, as he attacked Holland in his next over to raise the hundred partnership.
Bancroft continued to find the boundary regularly off Holland before Whiteman also cut loose to hit successive fours off Mitchell Perry in the 41st over. However, Boland finally separated the duo in the next over when he bowled Bancroft for 68. Whiteman, though, got to his hundred before Sutherland dismissed him for 104. Cameron Green started slowly – he was on 3 from 10 balls at one point – but he raced away to finish at 35 off 37 balls.
All those contributions set up the match for Western Australia, who declared their second innings at 269, finishing with a lead of 453. Victoria were given another jolt when Kelly removed Dean in the fourth over to push his match tally up to five.