The Bulls batter scored a vital half-century to keep Queensland alive in their Sheffield Shield clash against South Australia
Queensland’s Lachlan Hearne knows confidence is key to making your mark in Australian cricket.
The 25-year-old, who was delisted by New South Wales after the 2022-23 summer, is eyeing the possibility of playing in a maiden first-class final with the Bulls.
Currently occupying second place on the Sheffield Shield table, Hearne is hoping Queensland return to the competition’s finale for a second consecutive season, but there’s work to be done to get there.
On Tuesday, the left-hand batter made a vital fifty as his side looked to build a lead against South Australia in their clash at the Gabba.
Batting on a tricky surface that saw only one player pass that milestone in either team’s first innings, Hearne said he was happy to be back in the runs, but dissapointed he was dismissed in the closing stages of day two.
“I would have loved to end the day not out, but to get fifty on a pretty tough wicket has set the team up in a decent spot,” Hearne said.
“I was pretty fortunate early, but that’s cricket. It’s one of those wickets where you’ve just got to grind hard, and once I took a few blows and calmed down, I sort of got into my groove.”
Together with Hugh Weibgen, Hearne and his Bulls teammate put on an important 87-run stand after the side was staring down the barrel of defeat in Brisbane.
With his state 3-10 in their second innings, still trailing South Australia by 19 runs, Hearne made 53 runs off just 65 balls at a strike rate of 81.54. Leading Queensland’s counter-attack, Hearne said the knock showcased how he loves to play his cricket.
“Everyone’s got their different game plan,” Hearne said.
“I feel like for me attacking is my best option. I felt I got a life early and after that my decision-making was really clear. I was trying to play the ball square and when it was full, I’d play nice and straight.”
The innings is Hearne’s third score of fifty or more in the Sheffield Shield during this 2025-2026 season.
After making his maiden ton in the competition at the Adelaide Oval last October, Hearne has amassed 375 runs at an average of 34.09 in the tournament. He is the state’s third-highest run-scorer during the campaign, behind Queensland captain and Australian Test player Marnus Labuschagne (463) and Matthew Renshaw (425).
Having played just the two matches for his Big Bash club Sydney Sixers during BBL|15, it’s fair to say the former Blues batter was itching at the opportunity to get back with his Bulls squad to get more exposure out in the middle.
“I haven’t really played much cricket recently,” Hearne admitted.
“(I made) no runs in Melbourne (in the last Shield fixture), but it’s good to get some today to get a little bit of confidence back. I’ve been training really hard recently… playing at the Gabba, it’s such a beautiful ground, but sometimes it can be so hard for batting. My game plan is a little bit different, but you’ve just got to back yourself and trust your game.”
In order to find his confidence again, Hearne opened up on the work he has been doing behind the scenes to build belief at this level.
“I feel like first-class cricket is a big confidence piece,” Hearne said.
“I’ve been talking to the psychologist a bit. He believes it’s competence. We’re here for a reason and that’s because we’ve put the results on the board. I’ll just keep on training hard and keep on learning from the mistakes you’ve made in the past.”
With his sights firmly on success, Hearne understands the importance of a Bulls victory over South Australia. With his team just 6.65 points ahead of third-placed Tasmania, Queensland’s No.5 is focused on ensuring his team can find a way to win against SA.
“I feel like with this game, we can hopefully bat two sessions tomorrow,” Hearne said.
“That’d be awesome and that’d get us a good total. There were a few late in the day that kept a bit low, so that could go in our favour in the fourth innings.”
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
