Ahmed spins magic around Warriors
Fawad Ahmed has produced the best performance by a legspinner in a Sheffield Shield final and strengthened his claims to an Ashes berth with a barnstorming display at Bellerive Oval.
The adopted Victorian claimed 8-89 to dismiss WA for a highly competitive 421 after claiming all four wickets to fall after lunch.
Openers Chris Rogers (18 not out) and Bob Quiney (17 not out) took the Bushrangers to 0-37 at tea after weathering a hostile start by new ball pair Nathan Coulter-Nile and Simon Mackin.
Quiney may have been lucky to survive a first ball lbw appeal from Coulter-Nile but the pair remained unruffled throughout the tough contest.
Bowling in front of national selector Trevor Hohns, a 1989 Ashes tourist as a leggie, Ahmed unpicked the Warriors middle order with a record-breaking display.
His return was better than the 8-101 WA left-armer Chris Matthews produced in 1987-88 while only five Australian legspinners have come up with better returns in a shield match.
Those bowlers include legspin royalty in Bill O’Reilly, Clarrie Grimmett and Arthur Mailey.
Ahmed’s eight wickets give him 48 for the season, a tally surpassed by only three other legspinners – Stuart MacGill (54 in 2004-05), O’Reilly (52 in 1939-40) and Grimmett (49 in each of 1934-35 and 1939-40).
WA’s plan was to bat at least until tea and build a first innings of 450 or more.
It was evident from Victoria captain Matthew Wade’s angry reaction when he lost the toss that the team that batted first had the opportunity to control the match.
The Warriors are still in a strong position but were slowed significantly in the middle session as Ahmed claimed regular wickets and the pacemen improved their control from the first day.
None of the tail was able to counter the spinner.
Coulter-Nile holed out to his second delivery after lunch, trying to thump Ahmed over mid-off, while Nathan Rimmington, Andrew Tye and Simon Mackin were all caught at slip as they attempted big drives.
Ashton Agar, the leading candidate as the second Ashes spinner, batted steadily for 44 not out but was mostly watchful as he sought a partner to remain with him.
Adam Voges and Sam Whiteman were both bowled with a massive Warriors total beckoning.
Voges was bowled by a superb Peter Siddle inswinger that ended his sixth century of the season at 107.
And Whiteman was eyeing off his second ton of the season when he failed to keep out an Ahmed flipper on 72.
The two experienced bowlers were the pick of the Victorian attack though tearaway James Pattinson appeared in better rhythm after a wayward first day.
Voges, who was 100 overnight, took his tally to 1322 runs for the summer with only Simon Katich (1506), Michael Bevan (1464) and Matthew Elliott (1381) having better shield seasons.
“I wanted to be procative and busy and keep the scoreboard moving along,” Voges said.
“As the ball got older and started to reverse it got tougher but the second new ball came on nicely.”
He started briskly, though may have been fortunate to survive a feather to Wade off Pattinson that umpire Mick Martell was not convinced was an edge.
The reprieve may have compensated for the first day decision that saw Michael Klinger given caught behind off Ahmed despite not appearing to hit the ball.
Voges looked in good touch until he played across the Siddle delivery.
The recent Test seamer operated with no slips, a ring field and three men in the deep from early in the day but bowled with good pace and got the ball to swing sharply.
Whiteman batted fluently with the highlight a series of well-timed drives through the offside.
He had nearly doubled his overnight score of 37 when he was castled by Ahmed as he attempted to pull the deceptive short ball.
