A day to remember for Victorian captain Aaron Finch has ensured Queensland face an ominous run chase in their one-day clash at the Gabba on Sunday.
Finch (154 from 141 balls) and fellow opener Rob Quiney (119) guided the Bushrangers to a whopping 2-379 from 50 overs – a state record one-day total.
Indeed Finch kept the statisticians honest on Sunday.
Not satisfied with posting a state record opening stand of 226 with Quiney, Finch celebrated his first game as one-day Bushrangers captain by thrashing 14 fours and five sixes to notch the highest score by a Victorian in the 50-over game.
Marking his maiden one-day ton in style, Finch easily surpassed Brad Hodge’s previous state record of 144 set against NSW last season.
His savage approach also ensured another record – Queensland quick Ben Cutting (2-101 from 12 overs) finished with the most expensive figures in domestic 50 over cricket days after he helped inspire the Bulls’ Sheffield Shield win over South Australia at the same ground.
There was no hint of what was to come when a cautious Victoria saw off Alister McDermott’s opening over – the only maiden bowled in the innings.
After that, all hell broke loose as Finch and Quiney bludgeoned the Bulls to all parts of the Gabba – at times endangering the safety of the handful of brave punters.
In draining heat, the openers saved their legs by smashing a total of 24 fours and eight sixes in their brutal opening stand after Finch won the toss.
The pair piled on the fourth-highest opening stand in domestic one-day history but it was not that far behind unlikely record-holders, NSW grafters John Dyson and Rick McCosker’s 253 set way back in 1981.
Queensland would have been forgiven for thinking their luck had changed when Quiney finally fell in the 37th over but there was little respite for the hosts.
Bookish former Test opener Chris Rogers (64 not out off 37 balls) surprisingly picked up where fellow left-hander Quiney left off, bringing up his half ton in 30 balls on his way to thrashing eight fours and a six.
But Finch swung one too many times, skying a difficult chance accepted by Nathan Hauritz in the 47th over.
Finch’s knock was the ninth highest in domestic one day history.
Rogers kept tonking, ably supported by Will Sheridan (28 not out off 12 balls, three sixes).
It was the highest one-day total against Queensland, surpassing Western Australia’s 6-340 set in 2006-07 and the biggest at the Gabba.