Rain stops Blues chase of Shield final

Moises Henriques did all he could with the bat to give New South Wales a chance of beating Western Australia and qualifying for the Sheffield Shield final.

Now he needs his bowlers to deliver and the rain to hold off.

NSW made 407 on day two and have WA 1-55 at stumps after rain drew play to a close early for the second straight day.

Cameron Bancroft (29) and Michael Klinger (19) are at the crease for the Warriors.

Henriques is backing his bowling attack of Doug Bollinger, Gurinder Sandhu, Sean Abbott, Steve O’Keefe and Nathan Lyon to take the 19 wickets NSW require as long as the weather allows it.

“It is frustrating, but it’s something we can’t control. We still have two long days ahead with 112 overs each, and if we bowl well enough we are still a chance,” Henriques said.

“We’ll come up with different plans for different batters, but most importantly it’s about discipline.

“We’re not going to blast them out on that wicket so it’s a matter of putting enough balls in the right places.”

Henriques returned from a groin injury for the match and made 145 with 18 boundaries and two towering sixes.

The skipper is hoping his bowling isn’t required now as the Blues look to have a chance to defend last year’s Shield title.

“I felt good. It was a bit of a scratchy start and to get dropped on nought was a lot better than walking back to the pavilion with a zero next to my name,” he said.

“I should be alright to bowl but with the three quicks that we have and two spinners I think I’ll only be needed when times are getting really tough.

NSW need to win outright to make the Shield final, while a draw will be enough to see Western Australia through.

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