Tasmania are struggling at 3-68 in the cut-throat Sheffield Shield match at the WACA Ground after being sent in to bat by Western Australia on Thursday.
Ricky Ponting on 25 and George Bailey on three are the not out batsmen for the visitors.
Ryan Duffield has been the pick of WA’s bowlers so far with 2-8 from his eight overs.
Both teams need to win the match to remain any chance of qualifying for next month’s final as they occupy the bottom two spots on the table, and WA captain Michael Hussey won the toss and elected to field first.
The wicket was green at the start of the day’s play, and with overcast conditions in the morning in Perth on Thursday Hussey was hoping his new look bowling attack could make some early inroads. And both Burt Cockley and the returning left-armer Ryan Duffield bowled well early for the Warriors.
Duffield is playing his first Shield match of the season and picked up the wicket of Cosgrove for one, bowled, and then Ben Dunk, caught behind by Sam Whiteman, for four.
Tasmania was 2-17 with Alex Doolan and Ricky Ponting at the crease, but the pitch was helping WA’s quicks and both Cockley and Duffield continued to bowl well.
Doolan fought his way to 33 before chopping one on off the bowling of Cockley to give the former NSW quick his first Shield wicket for WA. He is playing his first four-day game for the Warriors and first Shield match overall since 2009.
Ponting continued to live dangerously but made it to lunch with captain Bailey having just joined him.
Duffield has been outstanding, and has been ably backed up by Cockley who has 1-29 from 12 overs with Michael Hogan and Ashton Agar the other two bowlers used so far by Hussey.