Sam Konstas’ long-anticipated return to the Sheffield Shield ended in disappointment as he failed to help New South Wales (NSW) secure a victory against Queensland. Chasing a daunting target of 418 runs, NSW showed promise early in their innings but faltered on the fourth day. Konstas, who concluded day three on 9 not out with some bold strokes, added only 13 runs the next day, departing after scoring 22 as he nicked to Tom Straker. His performance has brought his average to a concerning 18 across his last eight innings in various formats.
As NSW struggled at 5-66, Kurtis Patterson soon followed Konstas back to the pavilion with a mere 18 runs. Despite late efforts from Jack Edwards (53) and Josh Philippe (80), New South Wales fell short of their target, ultimately losing the match by 188 runs against Queensland, buoyed by Michael Neser’s outstanding bowling figures of 3-72.
In a separate match, Victoria narrowly lost to Tasmania by 20 runs, despite Peter Handscomb’s commendable 93 runs. Kieran Elliott’s 6-84 proved pivotal for Tasmania as he claimed ten wickets in the match to secure their win, overcoming solid resistance from Victorian players, including captain Will Sutherland and Peter Siddle.