Riley Meredith bowled swiftly, but Peter Handscomb and Campbell Kellaway ensured the hosts overhauled Tasmania’s 224
Victoria withstood a fiery spell from Riley Meredith to overcome Tasmania by three wickets to start off their Marsh One-Day Cup season strongly on their home turf at the Junction Oval.
Beau Webster played a blinder to keep the Tigers in the match, backing up a game-high score of 83 (from 86 balls) with a two-wicket burst with the ball to leave the hosts wobbling at 5-172 chasing 225.
But young gun Campbell Kellaway, the 20-year-old who has featured for Australia A extensively over the winter, scored a vital 46 before Will Sutherland (29no off 20) saw the Vics home with a six over long-on with 31 balls to spare.
Victoria captain Peter Handscomb, coming off strong run of one-day form for Leicestershire in the UK, raced to a fluent 38-ball half-century that broke the back of the run chase, along with Tom Rogers’ 45.
The hosts had to contend with the pacey Meredith (1-29 from 10 overs), the speedster who played the last of his six white-ball games for Australia two years ago.
At the seaside venue in St Kilda on Melbourne’s Port Phillip Bay, the 27-year-old quick took advantage of a strong breeze to send down a series of rapid bouncers including one to fringe Test batter Marcus Harris on his first ball that whistled past the left-hander’s helmet.
But the Vics were largely able to sit on him given Tasmania’s 224 never looked sufficient.
“Down-breeze there, we unleashed him,” Webster said of Meredith. “He bowled really fast. Even Marcus Harris said, ‘I haven’t faced that kind of pace in a long time’.
“It was quick, it was out-swing as well which is his biggest asset – he doesn’t just run in and bowl gun barrel (straight), he swings the ball late.
“He was fantastic. We’re looking to get him fit enough to play a lot of red-ball (cricket) for us as well.”
The visitors had Webster to thank for passing the 200-run mark, with the towering allrounder helping put on 55 for the final three wickets.
No other Tigers batter scored more than 30.
Ashes tourists Scott Boland (2-30) and Todd Murphy (0-32), along with Fergus O’Neill (1-36), squeezed their opponents expertly on a slow early-season surface that Handscomb had no hesitation sending his opponents in on after winning the toss.
Sutherland took a terrific catch diving forward at second slip to see Boland dismiss in-form opener Caleb Jewell and Mac Wright in the space of three balls, before finding himself at the centre of a contentious moment following another low grab.
Matthew Wade stood his ground after chipping one to Sutherland at cover, with Handscomb pushing his point with umpires to no avail after they deemed the ball had touched the turf.
But keeper-batter Wade, who later dropped Harris off spinner Paddy Dooley, failed to take advantage of his life as the home side’s bowlers made regular in-roads.
“We lost a couple of wickets too many wickets with the bat if we’re being brutally honest,” said Handscomb, who remains the side’s one-day captain after Sutherland replaced him as skipper of the Sheffield Shield team.
“But we were pretty ruthless with the ball and that’s a nice way to start the season.
“(Kellaway) batted really well. We were talking out there, saying ‘you’ve got a lot of time, keep taking the singles, let them come to us, don’t need to force anything.
“He played it beautifully, it was quite a mature knock for someone of his age, which is nice to see. He’s going from strength to strength.”
Billy Stanlake, playing his first match for Tasmania after an injury-plagued first season on the Apple Isle, and Dooley were two of three Tasmania debutants, along with Jake Weatherald who posted 28 from the top of the order.
