14 wickets fell as runs were hard to come by on day one of Queensland’s Sheffield Shield match against South Australia
South Australia allrounder Liam Scott took career-best figures, but four final session wickets for Queensland has them right back in their Sheffield Shield contest at the Gabba.
After sending the Bulls into bat, SA rolled Queensland for 185 in 66.5 overs before going to stumps on 4-62 in a wicket-filled opening day.
Scott claimed 5-33 to record his second five-wicket haul in the Sheffield Shield and his first in the competition in nearly four years.
The 25-year-old, who has made 365 runs at an average of 40.55 in this season’s Sheffield Shield, did the job for the visitors with the ball on a green Gabba wicket that offered plenty of assistance to the seamers in Brisbane.
In reply, the Queensland pace attack ripped through the South Australian top order to get the game back on their terms.
Jem Ryan (2-24) picked up the crucial wicket of Alex Carey (18) late in the day after Hugh Weibgen’s superb catch at gully sent the Australian Test wicketkeeper back to the change rooms.
SA bowler Nathan McAndrew was used as a nightwatchman and survived ten balls without scoring as him and Jason Sangha (15no) reached stumps.
Opening the bowling for the visitors, Campbell Thompson (2-16) bowled four maidens with his first four overs in Sheffield Shield cricket to former Australian Test opener, Usman Khawaja.
The left-arm quick troubled Khawaja on multiple occasions, before a diving Nathan McAndrew (1-38) almost pulled off a miraculous catch on the boundary to dismiss the left-hand bat. The boundary marked the first runs off Thompson’s bowling from his 25th delivery.
Replacing Thompson after his six-over spell, Scott broke the 34-run opening stand as he trapped Hugo Burdon (22) with his second ball of the match.
Shouldering arms to Jordan Buckingham (2-70), Labuschagne survived an enthusiastic lbw shout from the South Australians on the fifth ball he faced, and while he hadn’t troubled the scorers.
After hitting two boundaries in the next Buckingham over, Labuschagne (8) was dismissed after the paceman found the edge of the Queensland skipper’s bat before wicketkeeper Carey took the catch.
The very next ball, Khawaja (15) made it two wickets in two balls for South Australia as Scott picked up his second scalp, and Carey completed his second catch to leave Queensland reeling at 3-50.
Weibgen (11) and Lachlan Hearne (8) then added 21 runs before the right-hand bat was bowled by McAndrew to become the fourth Bulls wicket to fall before lunch.
Coming out of the interval at 4-73, Thompson took his first two wickets in first-class cricket when he dismissed Hearne and Michael Neser (0) in the same over.
Jimmy Peirson (52) and Hayden Kerr (43) then provided the resistance for Queensland.
The pair took the Bulls from 6-75 to 6-161 at tea, more than doubling Queensland’s score in a vital stand for the hosts.
Shortly after the break, the seventh-wicket partnership was broken by Scott who removed Kerr and ended an 88-run stand with his third wicket.
Tom Straker (3) became Scott’s fourth victim in his next over, before Peirson brought up his 24th first-class fifty and his second half-century in the Sheffield Shield this season.
Peirson lost another partner when Mitch Swepson (9) was bowled by Buckingham to give SA their ninth Bulls wicket.
Scott then dismissed Queensland’s wicketkeeper to take his fifth wicket for the innings as the Bulls were bowled out for 185, losing 4-24 after tea.
SA were put under pressure from the very first ball of the innings when opener Mackenzie Harvey (21) survived a loud Neser lbw shout.
Fellow opener Henry Hunt (0) was the first SA batter dismissed when he was caught behind off the bowling of Straker for a third-ball duck.
Neser struck in his fifth over after trapping South Australian captain McSweeney (3), before Harvey was caught by Labuschagne at second slip as SA slumped to 3-28.
Sangha and Carey put on a 34-run partnership before the keeper found Weibgen in the gully.
SA will resume their first innings on day two trailing Queensland by 123 runs with six wickets in hand.
Sheffield Shield 2025-26 standings
Team
Matches played
M
Wins
W
Losses
L
Drawn
D
No results
N/R
Deductions
Ded.
Batting Bonus
Bat
Bowling Bonus
Bowl
Total points
PTS
1
VIC
7
5
2
0
0
0
5.87
6.3
42.17
2
QLD
7
3
2
2
0
0
8.18
5.2
33.38
3
TAS
7
3
3
1
0
2
3.73
6
26.73
4
SA
7
2
2
3
0
0
4.69
6.6
26.29
5
NSW
7
2
3
2
0
0
4.67
5.9
24.57
6
WA
7
1
4
2
0
0
1.61
6.5
16.11
Legend
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
D: Drawn
N/R: No results
Ded.: Deductions
Bat: Batting Bonus
Bowl: Bowling Bonus
PTS: Total points
