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Sri Lanka’s batting coach expresses surprise at the composition of South Africa’s attack, and says that as the Test goes on, the pitch will turn even more

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Colombo20-Jul-2018South Africa have picked only one frontline spinner at the SSC, and on a track as dry as this, even their opponents felt that was probably a bad move. The visitors have maintained through the series that pace is their traditional strength and that it is on pace that they will continue to depend, no matter what the conditions. But following a first day in which eight wickets went to the sole spinner in South Africa’s attack, opposition batting coach Thilan Samaraweera gave a chuckle and suggested his own team had got lucky thanks to this opposition misstep.”I was really surprised. I thought they might go with three pace bowlers and two spinners,” Samaraweera said. “But they struck to their strength which is pace. I guess not having the additional spinner is good for us. When you see the scorecard, one spinner has picked up eight wickets. Probably they are short one spinner. At the moment it looks like the pitch is really spinning – but we’ll have to wait for South Africa to bat to make sure. A lot of credit to Keshav Maharaj for the way he bowled to create pressure and deliver some good balls to our top order.”Although Sri Lanka lost five wickets for 41 runs during the third session, and slid from 223 for 4 to 277 for 9, Samaraweera was nevertheless happy with his team’s position. “We are confident with our score. In the last six or seven overs of the day, the pitch behaved differently. The part-time offspinner Aiden Markram was getting a lot of bounce. We have to bowl [in the] right areas and if we do that, we can take wickets. After winning the toss we were looking at 270 to 300 runs. When the game goes on, it will be hard to bat in the third and fourth innings on these kind of surfaces. I am happy that we are where we are at 277 for 9. Had we been 275 for 6 we would have been even happier.”The confidence, perhaps, is down to faith not only in the senior spinners, but also in Akila Dananjaya, the allsorts offspinner, who replaced left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan in the XI. Dananjaya has played only two Tests, but has been a feature of Sri Lanka’s limited-overs sides over the past ten months.”Akila is a quality spinner and very confident about what he can do,” Samaraweera said. “He is a good Test cricketer with nice loop and lot of variation. He bowls legspin, googly and his stock ball as well. He is an attacking option for us. We know that Rangana Herath is reaching the end of his career, and after a long spell, he needs a good 40 minute break. In that time we can use Akila – if he gets one wicket he will become more attacking.”

Mason Crane, the 20-year-old legspinner, broke into the New South Wales team earlier this year but has missed out in Hampshire’s opening three Championship matches

George Dobell25-Apr-2017James Whitaker, the England national selector, has expressed his disappointment after Mason Crane was left out of Hampshire’s side for the first three County Championship matches of the season.Crane, the 20-year-old legspinner, came into the English domestic season having become the first overseas player to break into the New South Wales team in more than 30 years (Imran Khan was the most recent) and having helped bowl The South to a 3-0 win over The North during the one-day series in the UAE. A spell of 4 for 1 in the final encounter turned the match in The South’s favour.But any hope that Crane could build on his progress in the opening weeks of the season – and any hope that he might provide an early answer to England’s spin-bowling issues – have been dashed as Hampshire have left him out of their Championship team. Reasoning that, on early season surfaces, they only require one spinner, they have preferred the all-round skills of Liam Dawson.”It would have been good to see him play some cricket this year already,” Whitaker admitted. “But we have no control over the selection of the Hampshire team.”It is disappointing. Mason Crane is clearly a very exciting young cricketer. He had a very exciting winter with some opportunities.”While Whitaker’s comments might be interpreted as a thinly-veiled swipe at Hampshire’s selection policy – the club have utilised three Kolpak players so far this season and also left out talented young batsmen Tom Alsop at times – to some extent Hampshire cannot be blamed.With the season scheduled to allow a block for T20 cricket, the Championship programme has been pushed ever more into the margins – Hampshire will have played six of their Championship matches by the end of the first week of June – meaning that surfaces might be expected to provide more assistance for seamers and negate the need for spinners.In a highly competitive top division, Hampshire are understandably picking the side they think gives them the best chance of winning games. In that light, the Crane issue might be seen as a microcosm of the dilemma facing spinners trying to learn their game within the English system more than any fault of Hampshire.Whatever the causes, it does little for the development of Crane. And, with the number of Championship games cut from 16 to 14 this year and Crane expected to win selection in the Lions teams, it remains to be seen how often he will turn out for Hampshire in first-class cricket this season.The Lions programme of games starts in the first week of June – they play three one-day games against South Africa A – before a four-day match against the same opposition (June 21-24) and then a three-day match against the senior South Africa touring side (June 29-July 1).If, as expected, Crane is included in those squads, he will be unavailable for Hampshire’s home Championship game against Warwickshire, their away Championship match against Lancashire and their home Championship game against Somerset.

The future of the iconic Victorian gasholder outside The Oval in South London has been secured after the structure was granted Grade II listed status

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Mar-2016The future of the iconic Victorian gasholder outside The Oval in South London has been secured after the structure was granted Grade II listed status.Gasholder No.1, as it was known when it was first built in 1847, was the largest of its type in the world before being rebuilt between 1877 and 1879, just before The Oval hosted the first Test match in England in 1880.The wrought-iron structure was given protected status on account of its historical, architectural and technical background, as well as its importance to the landscape in the borough of Kennington.”We consider our industrial heritage very carefully, and must be rigorous when assessing these once ubiquitous, now redundant, holders for listing,” Emily Gee, head of designation at government heritage agency Historic England, told Surrey’s website.”It is unlikely that many more will be listed, but we are delighted that this special one is now listed at Grade II.””It’s impossible to imagine The Oval without being over looked by the gasholder,” said Surrey chairman, Richard Thompson. “Its presence in Kennington is almost the guardian of our history and, whatever its future may hold, it is great news that it will remain intact as our most famous neighbour.Heritage minister David Evennett added: “A lot of cricket fans will recognise this structure which provides an iconic backdrop to a world-famous cricket ground. It is also an important part of London’s Victorian history which is why I’m very pleased it will be protected for years to come.”In recent times, the gasholder has been used as a prominent advertising hoarding for major matches taking place at The Oval. A spokesman for English Heritage confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that the structure’s listed status would not prevent such use in the future.

As India A gear up for their final match on the tour to South Africa, a four-day fixture that begins in Pretoria on Saturday, it is the pitch that comes into sharp focus

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Aug-2013As India A gear up for their final match on the tour to South Africa, a four-day fixture that begins in Pretoria on Saturday, it is the pitch that comes into sharp focus. The one-day tri-series that preceded the Rustenburg four-day game was played in Pretoria, and high scores were the norm in that tournament. The tracks were as flat as they get, and more of the same could be expected for the long-format match.South Africa A would be thankful for that, as they look to square the series. India crushed them by an innings and 13 runs in Rustenburg; the visitors had the best of batting conditions and then, as the pitch began to deteriorate and slow, their bowlers finished the job.For India, Shikhar Dhawan will be particularly glad to return to Pretoria, where he smashed a record 248 off 150 balls during the one-dayers. Cheteshwar Pujara, Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina, who scored hundreds in the Rustenburg match, will be hoping to further their chances of returning to South Africa later in the year with the senior team – though Pujara did admit his team-mates know better than to expect similar conditions in that much-anticipated Test series.For now, the Indian batsmen looking to make a final mark will be helped by the fact that South Africa will be without pace bowler Lonwabo Tsotsobe, who was included in the squad but is away due to family reasons. Marchant de Lange will miss out too, as he is still recovering from the rib injury he picked up during South Africa A’s four-day game against Australia A at the end of July. JP Duminy and Wayne Parnell, who were two of the better performers in the first match, are unlikely to be rested.This match will also mark the final game in a unique coaching initiative for South Africa. Six franchise coaches – Cape Cobra’s Paul Adams, Dolphins’ Lance Klusener, Warriors’ Piet Botha, Lions’ Geoffrey Toyana, Knights’ Sarel Cilliers and Titans’ Malibongwe Maketa – had all assisted South Africa A head coach Vincent Barnes during the team’s series against Australia A and India A over the past six weeks.”This gave our domestic coaches an opportunity to work in this environment against international opposition,” Barnes said. “It has worked well because they bring in a lot of experience as assistant coaches and their interaction is important for this [High Performance] programme. Our relationship with the coaches is a lot stronger and that is beneficial going forward.”Cilliers said the tough track in Rustenburg provided the players and the coaches with a good learning experience. “It was a good opportunity to tap into the other players’ mindsets. Our players were tested in difficult conditions in Rustenburg and that not only exposed their short-comings, but also gave a valuable indication of the areas to work on so that we give more accomplished cricketers to the national team.”Adams, the former South Africa spinner, termed the initiative a “platform for growth”. “It was a great experience, being afforded the opportunity to work with the top crop of players in the country,” he said. “I particularly enjoyed getting a different take on game tactics and situations from the players. It is a great platform as it is another way of creating growth amongst the players and the coaches.”As the programme winds down in Pretoria, South Africa’s team of coaches will be hoping some of that growth is visible.

A defiant century from Phil Hughes helped Worcestershire stay in contention on the first day of their Championship match against local rivals Warwickshire.

George Dobell at Edgbaston08-Aug-2012
ScorecardChris Russell took a late wicket on his Championship debut•Getty Images

A defiant century from Phil Hughes helped Worcestershire stay in contention on the first day of their Championship match against local rivals Warwickshire. Hughes became the first Worcestershire batsman to carry his bat since Stephen Moore did so on the same ground in 2008 and was one of only two men to pass 20 during a day in which 13 wickets fell.Perhaps Hughes felt he had unfinished business at Edgbaston. It was here ahead of the Edgbaston Test of 2009 that Hughes was dropped from the Australian Test team. Having had his weakness against the short ball mercilessly exposed by Andrew Flintoff, Hughes announced his omission on twitter, and has never fully nailed down a spot. In 23 subsequent Test innings he has passed 50 just three times.He had, until now, struggled to excel for Worcestershire, too. He had impressed in limited-overs cricket, but seven previous Championship innings had brought just two half centuries. Here he looked every inch a Test player. On a dry pitch that had been used for the previous night’s limited-overs game, Hughes dealt with a strong attack with impressive flair and composure.There was just one moment that hinted at his previous troubles against the short ball. In Boyd Rankin’s first over Hughes, on 40, edged a brute of a delivery that demanded a stroke but reared sharply only to see Tim Ambrose, the Warwickshire keeper, equally surprised by the pace and the ball elude him on its way to the boundary.Rankin lacked the consistency to exploit any weakness, however, and Hughes dealt with Jeetan Patel’s turn – and there was surprising turn for a day one pitch – Keith Barker’s swing – no easy task – and Chris Wright’s tight lines, pace and gradual movement with apparent ease. It was his first century since September last year.”It’s nice to get to three figures,” Hughes said afterwards. “I’ve not done it for a while. I didn’t play in the Big Bash as I had some technical things I wanted to work on and I didn’t make it on the Aussie A tour. But Worcestershire is a fantastic club to play for and I’m really enjoying playing in all three formats of the game.”The last couple of weeks have seen us playing on the quickest wickets I’ve seen this season and I’ve been tested by a few flying around my ears. But I feel I’m a better player now. I’ve had some ups and downs, but I’m only 23 so I have age on my side.”Worcestershire were grateful for his contribution. Having dropped Jack Shantry, Richard Jones and James Cameron from the team that were thrashed by Sussex, they brought in Chris Russell, Joe Leach and Brett D’Oliveria for their Championship debuts. They made 22 between them and Worcestershire lost their last five wickets for the addition of just seven runs in 46 balls. Hughes, unable to keep the strike, faced only eight of them.There was a time, when Vikram Solanki and Hughes were adding 124 together for the fourth wicket, when it appeared Worcestershire might set a far more challenging first innings total. Solanki, timing the ball as few can, produced some outrageously fine strokes: he got off the mark with a crunching pull off Rankin, before later driving the same bowler over extra-cover, slog-sweeping Patel and forcing Wright off the back foot. Batting looked almost too easy for him until he obligingly swung a slog-sweep directly to the man on the square leg boundary..None of their colleagues lingered for long. Daryl Mitchell, set up by away swing, was beaten by natural variation and missed a straight one; Matt Pardoe was drawn into wafting at one well outside off; Moeen Ali was surprised by Rankin’s pace and both Leach and D’Oliveria paid the price for feeling for deliveries outside off stump. Patel, after bowling poorly to start, cleaned up the tail, but was slightly flattered by his figures.Patel, the spinner recalled to the New Zealand squad for their tour of India, hopes to return to Championship duty ahead of Warwickshire’s penultimate match of the season against Worcestershire at New Road. It may be more realistic, however, to expect him back for the final game against Nottinghamshire.Worcestershire hit back in the dying minutes of the day. Russell, who impressed in the two-day match against South Africa and whose slingy action bears some resemblance to Graham Dilley and Chris Silverwood, worked up decent pace and bowled admirably straight in trapping Ian Westwood, stuck in the crease and playing across a straight one, leg before. At the other end Alan Richardson nipped one back into a half-forward Varun Chopra before William Porterfield was very well held at slip at tentatively prodding at one angled across him.Warwickshire have made a habit of rebuilding through their lower order this season, but are without Chris Woakes, who is on England Lions duty, while Jim Troughton was off the pitch for much of the day due to flu-like symptoms.

Andre Adams, swinging the ball into the bat at a deceptively gentle pace that could best be described as the slower side of medium, and seemingly occasionally reversing it to boot, enabled Nottinghamshire to bowl out Somerset for 177 in this rain-affected

Jeremy James at Taunton19-Aug-2011
Scorecard
Craig Kieswetter was bowled for 10 by Charlie Shreck•Getty Images

Andre Adams, swinging the ball into the bat at a deceptively gentle pace that could best be described as the slower side of medium, and seemingly occasionally reversing it to boot, enabled Nottinghamshire to bowl out Somerset for 177 in this rain-affected match.He finished with an exceptional return of 6 for 33. An indication of the assistance he and Charlie Shreck obtained was that six of the eight wickets that fell came through a single stump being plucked out of the ground.Adams recently signed a new two-year contract with Nottinghamshire, and no wonder. He is a bowler to utilise the swing at Trent Bridge – and, clearly, elsewhere. Somerset, two down overnight, or rather on Wednesday night as there was no play on the second day, lost, in relatively quick succession to Adams, Nick Compton, whose off stump was removed, James Hildreth, likewise, although he did make the second highest score of 35, and Jos Buttler and Alfonso Thomas in identical manner.If techniques were suspect – Hildreth, for one, played an airy-fairy shot – then nothing should be taken away from the bowling. For there was no cloud cover and this, lest we forget, was Taunton, where many a batsman comes in the sure knowledge and confidence that a return to form will follow. Buttler, it should be added, looked the class batsman he so clearly already is, striking eight fours in 43, the majority attractive front foot drives, until he succumbed to the dreaded Adams.Shreck took his one wicket of the innings when Craig Kieswetter had his leg stump knocked out, the ball conceivably coming off the inside edge. George Dockrell, the Dubliner making his Championship debut, became Adams’ fifth victim, leg before, and Charl Willoughby, after a couple of characteristic swishes, nowhere near the line of the ball, also had his off stump removed. Not quite career-best figures for Adams, but he and his coach, Mick Newell, were not bothered about that.”There is more carry at Trent Bridge and so Andre has to adjust his line when we are away from there,” said Newell. “He is a similar bowler to Alfonso Thomas – his economy rate is good and he bowls hardly any rubbish. We don’t have a great record on this ground, but there are clearly more ‘result’ pitches being prepared here now. At Trent Bridge we roll the square a lot to try to improve the pace in the pitch. Here, the groundsman tries almost to under-prepare the surfaces.”Newell’s intention on the final day will be to try to bowl Somerset out, as opposed to setting up a declaration with opponents with whom his relations are strained following their trying t20 quarter-final earlier this month. When Nottinghamshire went in before tea, Alex Hales and the left handed Karl Turner put on 50 in eight overs before the former was athletically held by Kieswetter, diving to his right off Kirby.Turner, missed at second slip by Marcus Trescothick when on 28, had added eight more runs when he was nicely taken low at mid-on off Thomas. Kieswetter then held another acrobatic catch to remove Darren Bravo, this time to his left. Who said anything about iron gloves? This was Knottesque. And who said anything about Samit Patel not being trim? He looked the part both in terms of his figure and his batting. An unbeaten 70 with 11 fours was the best innings thus far, if hardly a match-winning one.

The 2011 World Cup tournament director, Ratnakar Shetty, said the governments of the host nations were working to ensure an “incident free” competition

Sa'adi Thawfeeq02-Aug-2010The tournament director of the 2011 World Cup, Ratnakar Shetty, has said that the development of the stadiums was on schedule and that the governments of the host countries – India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh – were working together to ensure an “incident free” competition.Several venues in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are being redeveloped or constructed from scratch and Shetty was confident they would be ready before the December 31 deadline.”We are monitoring the development of all the World Cup venues, particularly the re-development of stadiums. The events are properly chartered and time is of the essence for us,” Shetty said. “The World Cup has been previously held in the subcontinent in 1987 and 1996, and our aim is to deliver a World Cup remembered as a memorable event for spectators to enjoy and the teams that are participating to be at full strength.”In February, the ICC had written to the BCCI expressing concerns over facilities at Bangalore’s Chinnaswamy Stadium. Andy Atkinson, the ICC pitch consultant, reportedly suggested several changes that need to be undertaken ahead of the tournament. In June, the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo was deemed to be behind schedule by an ICC delegation in terms of readiness of the pitch, but progress at the two new venues in Pallekele and Hambantota was assessed to be on track.Shetty also said that the hosts were working towards improving the security for the event. “Each of the countries now has full-time security advisors and they are preparing the national security plans as well as the tournament security plans. The three governments are working out to ensure that this will be an incident free 2011 World Cup.”Shetty was in Colombo for the naming of the 2011 World Cup’s mascot – a baby elephant called ‘Stumpy’. The ICC had conducted an online competition inviting the public to suggest a name for the mascot.

Liam Livingstone’s half-century in vain as Phoenix stumble with victory in sight

ECB Reporters Network17-Aug-2024Birmingham Phoenix 126 for 7 (Livingstone 55) tied with Southern Brave 126 for 6 (Vince 43, Milne 3-18)
Super Five Southern Brave beat Birmingham Phoenix in a thrilling Super Five contest at the Kia Oval to book their place in the Hundred final at Lord’s.Chris Jordan was the match-winner in a nerve-shredding encounter, hitting 10 from three balls after Jofra Archer had limited Phoenix to a total of 7 from their Super Five.Liam Livingstone had looked set to take Phoenix to final with 55 off 34 balls, but when he fell in the final set of his side’s innings, Akeal Hosein defended three from three to bring around the first-ever Super Five in ghe Hundred.In the first innings of the match, James Vince made 43 for Southern Brave and Leus du Plooy 39. Jordan struck two sixes in the final set bowled by Sean Abbott which would ultimately prove crucial – a taste of things to come from the bat of the England allrounder.Phoenix’s run chase got off to a slow start but with contributions from captain Moeen Ali and Jacob Bethell the Birmingham side began to close in on the target.Livingstone was in full control – hitting Archer out of the ground – but his dismissal and some late drama saw the scores level at 126 apiece.Batting first in the five-balls-per-side contest, Livingstone was unable to atone for his late dismissal – falling first ball, flashing a full toss from Archer to backward point.Bethell smashed the second ball wide of long-on for four, but no more boundaries were forthcoming – leaving Jordan and Kieron Pollard needing to surpass 7 to make Lord’s.Jordan got a slice of luck to inside-edge his first delivery for four behind square on the leg side, and followed up with a two and a four to see Brave make the Hundred final for the second time.Meerkat Match Hero, Archer, said: “Just relieved to be honest, I thought I’d given it away in that second to last over.”On his last three deliveries, he said: “You’ve just got to commit to it. Some days it happens for you and some days it doesn’t and I’m just glad today is one of the days that it worked for me.”We’ve got 11 match-winners and the guys that are not in the XI are match-winners themselves, so the team has so much talent it doesn’t matter what team we put out there, I back the guys all the way.”

The Titans hero also spelt out his gameplan: “bigger boundaries if they are bowling in good areas, look for doubles; smaller boundaries, you can take it on”

ESPNcricinfo staff26-May-20231:54

Manjrekar: Gill took his T20 game to the next level in 2022

Shubman Gill’s third century of the season – a 60-ball 129 – has put Gujarat Titans in the IPL 2023 final, their second appearance in the title round in just their second year in the tournament. But for someone who scored at a strike rate of 215.00, with seven fours and ten sixes, the feeling of “this is my day” came only in the 12th over of the innings, which started with him on 59 off 37, when he hit Akash Madhwal for three sixes in a 21-run over.”For me, it’s all about playing ball to ball, assessing the situation over by over,” Gill said on the official broadcast after his Player-of-the-Match performance. “Maybe the over in which I hit three sixes, that’s when I got the momentum to go big and I realised maybe this is my day and I have to make it big, because it is a good wicket to bat on.”Gill doesn’t come across as a six-hitter – he was No. 42 in the list of six-hitters in IPL 2022 – but has become one – he has 33 sixes this year, joint-second-highest with Shivam Dube and only behind Faf du Plessis’ 36. Is the change a conscious one?Related

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“[Six-hitting] is not a conscious decision. Obviously, you keep practicing, you want to keep growing, want to keep evolving as a batsman,” he said. “But I feel the belief is more important and that’s what I have had this year and the last year as well.”Gill is in the middle of a purple patch. In international cricket this year, he has one Test century, three ODI centuries (including 208 against New Zealand in Hyderabad) and one T20I century, and averages 51.33, 78.00 and 40.40 in the three formats respectively. Cut to the IPL, and he has the Orange Cap now, for a total of 851 runs so far, scored at an average of 60.78 and strike rate of 156.43. And this was his third century in his last four innings.”It helps when you are coming off a good international season with runs under the belt,” he said. “With me, I know it’s about starting [well]; I know once I start, I can keep going.”Last year, from the West Indies tour, that’s when I shifted gears. I got injured in 2021 leading up to the IPL and I was out for a couple of months. That’s when I started realising the areas to work on and made some technical changes in my batting around December, when I was called up for the New Zealand series just after the T20 World Cup.”ESPNcricinfo Ltd

On Friday, Gill got to his century off the first ball of the 15th over, off 49 balls, bringing the 75,655 people at the stadium to their feet. The journey from 50 to 100 took just 17 balls.”The first couple of overs, it [held] a bit on the surface and after that because there was not as much grass on the wicket, the ball was coming on nicely,” Gill said at the halfway stage of the match. “I think also because of the outfield being a little wet [because of rain in the lead-up to the match], the ball stopped swinging after two overs and it got easier as we progressed into the innings.”Titans began a bit slow with Gill on 20 off 15 after five overs. Opening partner Wriddhiman Saha (18 off 16) and No. 3 B Sai Sudharsan (43 off 31) also found the going tough. Gill was dropped by Tim David in the last over of the powerplay when he was on 30 off 19. But he changed gears gradually, teeing off after getting to his half-century. Along with the 17 hits to the boundary, there were lots of singles and doubles at a ground where one square boundary was much shorter than the other.”Definitely [the shorter boundary] plays a part,” he said. “As a batsman, you have to be aware which side to target and you have to take on the bowlers according to that. This is something I had in mind… bigger boundaries if they are bowling in good areas, look for doubles. Smaller boundaries, you can take it on.”

Offspinner Todd Murphy impressed in his just second first-class match

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff15-Mar-2022Tasmania 5 for 250 (McDermott 94, Wade 61) vs VictoriaBen McDermott narrowly missed a third first-class century as Tasmania’s solid platform was dented in their crucial penultimate-round Sheffield Shield match against unbeaten Victoria.Tasmania, who won the toss and elected to bat, reached 5 for 250 at stumps on day one at Melbourne’s Junction Oval.McDermott was dismissed in the final over of the day, caught in the slips off the bowling of Will Sutherland for 94. He hit nine boundaries and two sixes in a largely faultless 209-ball knock.His 129-run stand for the third wicket with Matthew Wade was the main plank in Tasmania’s innings, with the pair batting throughout the afternoon session. Former Test batter Wade looked at ease during his 61 from 129 balls, before feathering a catch to the wicketkeeper off the bowling of rookie spinner Todd Murphy.Playing in just his second Shield match, the 21-year-old Murphy made a double breakthrough earlier in the day after the Victorian quicks failed to make inroads. He delivered successive wicket-maidens as openers Caleb Jewell and Tim Ward were dispatched, the latter badly misjudging a delivery and getting bowled as he shouldered arms.Jordan Silk hit six boundaries in his 31 before becoming another victim of spin as Jon Holland got into the action. It was a costly final half-hour for Tasmania who lost 2 for 4 in the closing stages.It was a different-looking Victoria side from the one who drew against Queensland last month with James Seymour, Jake Fraser-McGurk and Henry Thornton all coming into the line-up.Opener Marcus Harris and fast bowler Scott Boland are in Pakistan with the Australian Test squad, while Matt Short has a side strain. Concussion victim Will Pucovski is continuing his return to cricket with a Victorian Second XI match this week.Unbeaten Victoria currently sit second on a congested Shield ladder with two wins and three draws, with Tasmania also boasting two wins.