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Wade guides Tas to Shield win over Vics

3 minute read

Tasmania captain Matthew Wade has hit an unbeaten 57 to help his side to a six-wicket victory over Victoria, who haven't won a match this season.

MATTHEW WADE of Tasmania takes a catch to dismiss Seb Gotch of Victoria during the Sheffield Shield match between Victoria and Tasmania at MCG in Melbourne, Australia.
MATTHEW WADE of Tasmania takes a catch to dismiss Seb Gotch of Victoria during the Sheffield Shield match between Victoria and Tasmania at MCG in Melbourne, Australia. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

Matthew Wade has steered Tasmania to a comfortable six-wicket Sheffield Shield win over defending champions Victoria, who remain winless this season.

The Test batsmen posted his second half-century of the match, finishing unbeaten on 57 as the Tigers made short work of their 139-run target on Sunday.

The result leaves Victoria, who have won four of the past five Shield titles, with two losses and a draw from their opening three fixtures.

Wade, considered a lock in Australia's middle-order for the first Test against Pakistan, started day four on zero with the Tigers at a shaky 2-31.

But he stabilised with an aggressive Charlie Wakim (36) before sealing the Tigers first Shield win of the season with a six off Jon Holland.

"I'm seeing the ball well. I'm just doing the things I've been doing over a long period of time now," Wade said.

In a low-scoring match on a green pitch where only four players passed 50, he also top scored in Tasmania's first innings with 69.

He said he was pushing swirling Test selection talk to the side.

"I don't stress too much. I just know I've got to continue to play the way that I know I can play," Wade said.

"It doesn't matter too much what kind of weight (the runs) carry, as long as I'm on the winning side it doesn't matter too much."

The Tigers set up victory on day one when they rolled Victoria for just 127 in their first innings.

It could have been worse if not for a quick-fire 69 from Nic Maddinson, who gave national selectors another reminder of his credentials after a career-best double-ton two games prior.

Test opener Marcus Harris hit a solid 60 in the visitor's second dig but highly-rated youngster Will Pucovski managed just 10 runs for the game.

Victoria's loss is their second in a row on the road, after they went down by nine-wickets to Western Australia in Perth.

Tigers seamer Jackson Bird claimed a match-haul of seven wickets and has 15 from his two first-class starts this season.

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