Western Australia 302 and 0 for 232 (Bancroft 103*, Whiteman 117*) lead Tasmania 431 (McDermott 90, Wade 83, Morris 5-94) by 102 runs
While nowhere near the record-breaking efforts seen at Glenelg, Western Australia’s opening pair of Cameron Bancroft and Sam Whiteman formed a notable stand of their own by putting on an unbroken 232 with both hitting centuries as the match against Tasmania looked set for a stalemate.
For Whiteman it was a continuation of the fine form he has shown early season and a second hundred in consecutive innings. Bancroft’s century was his first in first-class cricket since July 2019 when he was playing county cricket for Durham ahead of his return to the Test side.
The pair kept pace with each other throughout much of the innings but it was Whiteman who reached his hundred first, from 166 balls, before Bancroft’s came from 208 deliveries.
Tasmania’s lower order, which included 39 off 19 balls by Jackson Bird, had earned a lead of 129 which was much more than appeared likely when Ben McDermott fell for 90 early in the day, upper-cutting Lance Morris to deep point. It was McDermott’s second consecutive score of 90 as another first-class hundred, to follow his lone ton to date made in 2017, continued to prove elusive.
When Beau Webster fell to a brilliant one-handed catch at slip by Shaun Marsh, Tasmania were 7 for 297 and something around parity on first innings looked likely, but the last three wickets added 134.
Bird’s innings was the most entertaining as he started with boundaries off his first two balls against Morris and then took three sixes in five balls off Aaron Hardie. Morris ended his fun to complete a maiden five-wicket haul in just his second match.