Sam Elliott is the toast of Victorian cricket after taking seven wickets against Tasmania to set an incredible new record for his state in the One-Day Cup. Playing in Victoria’s first competitive match of the season at Melbourne’s Junction Oval, Elliott ripped through the Tassie batting order with record figures of 7-12 to help his side to a four-wicket win after bowling out the visitors for a disappointing 126.
It could have been much worse for Tasmania, who were reeling at 9-92 before tailenders Matthew Kuhnemann (17no off 26) and Gabe Bell (17 off 22) put on a defiant partnership for the final wicket to make the visitors’ score look slightly more respectable. Elliot was also on track to break Shaun Tait’s record of 8-43 and set the best figures ever in the domestic one-day competition but couldn’t muster his eighth wicket.
The son of former Australia Test opener Matthew Elliott, the 24-year-old quick had the astonishing figures of 7-8 at one stage, to leave Tasmania in tatters and Aussie cricket fans in disbelief. Playing just his 11th domestic 50-over game, Elliott’s seven wickets came from just eight overs and saw him surpass Jon Holland’s 6-29 as the best figures by a Victorian bowler in the competition’s history.
The right-arm fast bowler was introduced in the 11th over and struck with his first ball as Jordan Silk chased a full delivery outside off stump and edged it behind the wicket to Sam Harper. The Victorian paceman then had Tasmania’s top scorer Jake Weatherald (31 off 31) caught behind just five balls later to leave Tasmania in all sorts at 4-55.
Sam Elliot sets best-ever one-day figures for Victoria
Elliot went on to take five more wickets, with four of his record haul snapped up by Victorian wicketkeeper Harper, who also claimed two dismissals off the bowling of veteran quick Peter Siddle (2-26). The pick of Elliott’s wickets was his seventh to remove Bradley Hope, with the Tassie batter deceived by a full length delivery that hit the deck and seamed away, catching his outside edge and landing in the gloves of Harper.
“It is quite remarkable what Sam Elliott is doing. He’s been around the mark now for a couple of years for Victoria… but to have this sort of performance is out of this world,” commentator Adam White said on Fox Cricket. Former Victorian spinner Fawad Ahmed called it a “miserable day” for Tasmania, who struggled on the normally batter-friendly Junction Oval wicket.
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Elliott’s extraordinary figures have only been bettered once in Australia’s domestic one-day competition, with Tait’s 8-43 for South Australia against Tasmania in 2004 still the benchmark. Elliot’s heroics justified the decision of his captain Will Sutherland to send the Tasmanians into bat after winning the toss under cloudy skies on a green-tinged pitch in Melbourne.
Victoria eases to win despite middle order collapse
Tasmania fielded an understrength bowling attack with Riley Meredith and Nathan Ellis both missing after being named for Australia’s UK tour and suffering injuries. The match was also Kuhnemann’s debut for Tasmania after he switched from Queensland in the off-season but it was Tom Rogers that got Tassie off to a promising start in the field after trapping Victoria opener Josh Brown in front for three.
Harper consolidated his superb showing with the gloves by smashing an impressive 43 (off 32 balls) to put the home side in the box seat, despite a middle order collapse that gave Tassie a sniff. Marcus Harris missed his chance to push for a BBL return this summer after being caught for just four runs, with Peter Handscomb (four), Thomas Rogers (five) and Jonathan Merlo (three) also falling cheaply to open the door for a Tasmania fightback.
Sutherland and Sam Elliot steadied the ship for the home side though, putting on an important partnership to stem the flow of wickets and get the Victorians back on track to open their campaign with a win. Sutherland smashed a six off Kuhnemann before adding a single to tie the scores in the 27th over, before Harper also blasted a boundary to close out victory with 139 balls and four wickets to spare.
with agencies
