Victoria 106 and 373 for 8 (Maddinson 109, Harris 76, Handscomb 71, Carlisle 3-63) need 69 more runs to win Tasmania 240 and 307
Victoria coach Chris Rodgers was pinning his hopes on a Will Sutherland masterclass after his side suffered a costly late collapse in their Sheffield Shield clash against Tasmania in Hobart.
But a collapse of 4 for 25 late in the day pushed Tasmania back into the box. Victoria’s hopes rest in the hands of Sutherland, Todd Murphy and No.11 Peter Siddle.
Sutherland was still lucky to be there after being dropped by Bo Webster at 7. Webster reached for his teammate in an attempt to make a one-handed catch, but fell.
“We’re still in it. I feel like we have a long way to go, but there’s still hope,” Rogers said. “You never know what can happen.
“Will Sutherland is still there. He can score and score quickly. If he can get some support at the other end, you never know what can happen.”
Victoria entered the race second in the table and knowing that a defeat could see them drop to fourth place with just one round to go.
But a win over Tasmania would leave them in prime position to secure a finals spot – and possibly hosting rights – ahead of their final round clash with Western Australia at the Junction Oval.
Tasmania can secure their place in the decider with a win, with the hosting rights also close at hand.
An incredible 17 wickets fell on the opening day and 13 on the second at the Blundstone Arena. But the pitch looked as flat as a road for most of the third day as Maddinson and Harris put the Tasmanian attack to the sword. Maddinson’s ton, his third in successive Shield matches, came off just 112 balls, with 14 fours and a six.
His departure sparked a chaotic period in which Puchowski retired injured after being hit by a Meredith jumper as Victoria lost 3 to 33.
Puchowski went into the game having suffered at least 11 previous concussions in his career, and it remains to be seen what impact his latest head hit will have on his competitive future.