Western Australia fast bowlers Jhye Richardson and Joel Paris dominated Queensland’s second innings at the WACA, but the Bulls maintained a slim advantage at tea on the third day of their Sheffield Shield match.

Richardson, who recently returned from Australia A’s tour of India, delivered a devastating performance, taking 5 wickets for 19 runs from 9.1 overs as Queensland was dismissed for 68, their lowest completed innings in the Shield for nearly a decade. Paris supported with three wickets for 21 runs, including the dismissals of openers Hugh Weibgen and Angus Lovell in the opening over of Western Australia’s second innings. This left WA chasing a modest target of 201 runs for victory.

Western Australia, however, was forced to start their run chase a player short after their top scorer from the first innings, Sam Fanning, suffered a hamstring injury during the opening session and was later observed using crutches. Under the current Cricket Australia injury substitution rules, replacements are only allowed up to the start of day three, meaning WA continued with ten batters. Queensland bowlers Xavier Bartlett and Cameron Gannon produced disciplined spells, reducing WA to 3 wickets for 50 runs with the final session of the day remaining.

In a separate match, Tasmania made significant progress against New South Wales after falling behind early. Melbourne-born left-arm fast bowler Marcus Bean marked his debut with a five-wicket haul, including the crucial scalp of Jack Edwards, who had reached a century before being dismissed. NSW declared their first innings with a commanding total of 9 wickets for 500 runs, holding a 255-run lead.

Tasmania’s openers Caleb Jewell and Jordan Silk steadied the innings with a 66-run partnership before the dismissal of Edwards, who appeared visibly frustrated after he was bowled by a delivery from Edwards that hit his stumps. Jewell went on to score 88 before falling to Sean Abbott. Middle-order batsmen Tim Ward and Teague Wyllie remained unbeaten at 49 and 24 respectively, guiding Tasmania to 2 wickets for 194 runs by stumps, narrowing NSW’s lead to 61 heading into the final day.

Both matches highlight the fluctuating fortunes in the Sheffield Shield as bowlers continue to make decisive impacts and batting units battle to consolidate under pressure.