Cricket

Tasmania's batting lineup faced a stern test on the opening day of their Sheffield Shield clash against Western Australia at the WACA, as the hosts' frontline attack restricted them to 158 for 5.Allrounder Aaron Hardie, making his first Shield appearance of the season, impressed with a lively opening spell, while offspinner Corey Rocchiccioli claimed two crucial wickets before lunch.After winning the toss and electing to bowl, WA skipper Sam Whiteman's decision was vindicated as the quicks relished the green wicket. Rocchiccioli, who recently earned Australia A selection, showcased his sharp turn and bounce to dismiss Jake Weatherald and Jordan Silk.Brody Couch, who had a mixed debut against Queensland, was fiery and clocked speeds reaching 143kph. He rewarded for the breakthrough of Caleb Jewell, who edged a good length delivery to second slip.However, Tasmania's No.5 Jake Doran held firm, anchoring the innings with an attractive 59 not out. He combined in a half-century partnership with Charlie Wakim, who was eventually dismissed by Cameron Gannon.Allrounder Beau Webster, who is also in Test calculations to replace Cameron Green, made just 3 before nicking off to seamer Matt Kelly.Despite the rain interruption, WA's bowlers maintained a stranglehold on the game, with Mitchell Marsh yet to enter the attack.

Cricket Australia (CA) has unveiled its new central contracts for the 2024-25 season, with several notable omissions and additions. Veteran all-rounder Marcus Stoinis, who has been battling back injuries, is the most prominent name missing from the list.Stoinis, a key member of Australia's World Cup-winning squad last year, is an integral part of the short-format team. However, CA has opted to prioritize younger players ahead of the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA.Other players who have missed out on contracts include all-rounder Ashton Agar, opener Marcus Harris, pacer Michael Neser, and recently retired star David Warner.In their place, CA has awarded deals to a handful of new faces. All-rounders Matt Short and Aaron Hardie have been upgraded to the contract list after impressive performances during the summer. Fast bowler Nathan Ellis and young right-armer Xavier Bartlett have also earned full-time contracts.Bartlett impressed with his bowling against the West Indies earlier this year, taking two four-wicket hauls in ODIs and 2/37 in the solitary T20I he played.Cricket Australia selection chair George Bailey expressed confidence in the potential of the new contracted players. "Matt, Aaron, and Xavier have been extremely impressive in the early stages of their international careers," he said. "Their performances and the way they have embraced the international stage have been exciting to watch.""The panel believes they have strong futures and deserve their contracts as they work towards striving to become regulars in the Australian setup," he added.

Western Australia's hopes of reaching the Sheffield Shield final have been boosted by the return of allrounder Aaron Hardie, who has been cleared to play in the crucial clash against Victoria in Melbourne from Monday.Hardie, who has been sidelined with a minor calf injury since facing Tasmania in Hobart in mid-February, has been passed fit and will bolster WA's lineup for the winner-takes-all match. The winner of the Victoria-WA clash will face Tasmania in the final.Ashton Agar has also been included in WA's squad as they cover all bases for the conditions they could face at Junction Oval. If Agar plays, it would be his first first-class match since the SCG Test against South Africa early last year.Agar has slipped down WA's red-ball pecking order behind offspinner Corey Rocchiccioli, who has been one of their standout bowlers this season with 37 wickets at 30.21. Agar has also fallen down Australia's white-ball hierarchy after being ruled out of the ODI World Cup through injury.Victoria have been boosted by the availability of Scott Boland, who has been released from Australia's Test squad in New Zealand. Boland has made five appearances for Victoria this season, taking 26 wickets at 16.50.There remains a slim chance that WA could still host the Shield final in Perth if Tasmania lose to South Australia and don't gain 0.14 more first-innings bonus points than them.In the Sheffield Shield, teams get six points for an outright win, one point for a draw, plus 0.01 of a bonus point for every run over 200 they score during the first 100 overs of their first innings and 0.1 of a bonus point for every wicket a team takes during the first 100 overs of their opponent's first innings.If Victoria-Western Australia finished in a draw, there is an outside possibility of New South Wales sneaking into the final, although they would need a huge amount of bonus points against Queensland.