O’Neill and Perry take five each for Victoria

Stumps • Starts 11:30 PM

Day 1 – Victoria trail by 129 runs.

AAP

06-Dec-2024 • 16 mins ago

Victoria 43 for 2 (Harris 26*) trail Queensland 172 (Renshaw 59, Perry 5-33, O’Neill 5-51) by 129 runs

Victorian paceman Fergus O’Neill has produced an over of magic to put the hosts on top of their Sheffield Shield encounter with Queensland at the MCG.

O’Neill (5-51) and Mitchell Perry (5-33) wreaked havoc to skittle Queensland for 172 on Friday, with only Matt Renshaw (59) and tail-ender Mark Steketee (44 not out) putting up any resistance for the Bulls.

Rain brought an early end to day one, with Victoria 43 for 2 when play was called off. Experienced Victorian duo Marcus Harris (26 not out) and Peter Handscomb (9 not out) will resume on Saturday, with Campbell Kellaway and Jonathan Merlo already back in the sheds.

Perry and O’Neill were the stars of the show on Friday. Queensland reached 16 without loss from eight overs before O’Neill snared 3 for 0 in the space of six deliveries.

O’Neill started his rampage by clean bowling Bryce Street for two when the opener shouldered arms to a wildly swinging delivery.

Angus Lovell was caught at second slip for a duck three balls later, and Jack Clayton became O’Neill’s third victim of the over when he was clean bowled.

Clayton, who like Street had shouldered arms, stood at the crease in disbelief for several seconds after watching the ball swing into the stumps from way outside off.

Renshaw did his best to steady the ship, and Steketee pummelled some handy runs. But there was no stopping O’Neill, who added Jack Wildermuth and Mitch Swepson to his list of victims.

Perry was just as good on the way to his career-best bowling figures in a first-class match. The 24-year-old snared the key scalps of Ben McDermott and Jimmy Peirson in the space of three balls as Queensland crashed to 5-56. Perry removed Renshaw later in the innings.