Western Australia have defeated Tasmania by one wicket despite a magnificent 138 from Beau Webster
Western Australia have survived a Beau Webster blitz to edge a record-setting One-Day Cup victory by just one wicket in Perth.
Struggling at 3-21 in the eighth over after being sent in at the WACA on Tuesday, Tasmania recovered to score 318, despite losing 6-25 at the end of their innings.
Test allrounder Webster (138 off 122 balls) and Tim Ward (112 off 114) pounded the home attack, adding 237, the highest fourth-wicket partnership in a domestic one-day game.
But the tons weren’t enough to maintain Tasmania’s unbeaten record after they’d won their first five games as WA went on to win with eight balls to spare, achieving the highest-ever domestic one-day run chase at the WACA.
Teague Wyllie, in just his second one-day match for WA, showed plenty of composure to steer his team home with an unbeaten 42 off 45 balls.
It was their third victory in six matches and kept alive their chances of making the final.
The hosts were well placed at 1-131 in the 20th over after Sam Curtis (75 off 57) and Aaron Hardie piled on 120 in 15 overs.
But the loss of Hardie for his highest List A score and Sam Whiteman in successive overs looked to have dented WA’s hopes.
Captain Ashton Turner gave them renewed hope with a quickfire 47 off 28 balls, before falling to a tremendous catch from Nikhil Chaudhary.
It was left to the young guns Wyllie and Will Malajczuk (23 off 22), who was making his one-day debut for WA, to score vital runs in the closing overs.
Malajczuk, who recently scored the fastest century ever at the men’s under-19 World Cup, powered a massive six over deep backward square leg off Tassie speedster Riley Meredith, but was yorked next ball.
Tasmania made a horrendous start, with Australian T20 representative Mitch Owen and fellow opener Caleb Jewell each caught for a duck in the opening over from the excellent Bryce Jackson.
Webster scored only 28 off his first 51 balls, striking just two fours, before going through the gears.
He muscled several powerful shots down the ground and over the legside boundary, belting thirteen fours and four sixes.
Ward started with fluent, well-timed driven boundaries off each of his first three deliveries and continued to pierce the field with some fine shots.
But Webster did not return to bowl for Tasmania, with a reported Achilles issue.
Western Australia’s pacemen Jackson (4-55) and Brody Couch (3-50) triggered Tasmania’s late-innings collapse.

