Queensland v Western Australia, FR Cup, Brisbane

Hopes the difference with bat and ball

Cricinfo staff

January 25, 2007

Queensland 3 for 158 (Hopes 70) beat Western Australia 8 for 190 (Voges 67) by 2 runs by D/L method
Scorecard

Shane Watson made 26 on his return to the Queensland line-up © Getty Images

James Hopes starred with bat and ball as Queensland held on for a tense two-run victory in their rain-affected game against Western Australia at Brisbane. Hopes top-scored with 70 and then bowled a tight six-run final over to keep the Warriors short of their revised target in a game full of comebacks, setbacks and classic catches.

Queensland were welcoming Shane Watson and Michael Kasprowicz back after lengthy injury lay-offs but Kasprowicz lasted only seven balls before he suffered another problem and was forced from the field. Watson survived but was not asked to bowl and his contribution was limited to 26 in Queensland's innings of 3 for 158, which was heavily affected by a series of rain delays.

After the Bulls played out 32.3 overs the Duckworth-Lewis calculation required Western Australia to chase 193 from 30 overs. Adam Voges put the visitors on target with 67 from 61 balls but when he fell the pressure was on Brad Hogg, who ended up needing four from the last Hopes delivery to win. A squirted single to point was all Hogg could manage, completing Hopes' day of all-round dominance.

His 70 from 85 balls set up the Queensland win but his innings ended with a brilliant catch by Voges on the boundary. Hopes hammered Hogg to long-on for what would have been a six until a diving Voges held on to the catch with one hand. It gave Hogg his only wicket in a tidy spell of 1 for 29 from seven overs after he was temporarily released from the Australia squad to get some valuable game time.

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