Premier Cricket 2019-20: Dylan Brasher’s 93 leads Footscray to win
With Travis Dean absent, there was plenty of pressure on Footscray’s new No.3 on Saturday after two early wickets tumbled. But the Dogs young gun answered the call.
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Footscray appeared vulnerable in the early exchanges of its Premier Cricket one-day fixture against Fitzroy Doncaster on Saturday.
Paceman Harrison Goad struck to massive blows for the Lions, removing openers Dan Sartori (13) and Dean Russ (7) cheaply after the home side was sent in to bat at Merv Hughes Oval.
With Travis Dean – Footscray’s leading run-scorer in 2019-20 – absent because of Victoria duties, young batsman Dylan Brasher filled the vital No.3 position
Under enormous pressure, Brasher posted a career-best First XI contribution of 93 not out in what proved a match-winning hand on a slow pitch.
He hit six boundaries in his 134-ball stay, lifting the Dogs to 8-191 from their 50 overs and providing some pleasant selection headaches for the coming finals series.
Captain Dylan Kight also contributed 35 at No.5, sharing a 72-run partnership with Brasher.
“Trav’s been batting three for us all year a little unexpectedly – we’d probably expect him to be playing a bit more Shield cricket than what he has been,” Footscray coach Allan Wise said.
“It’s obviously big shoes to fill for Dyl.
“We spoke to Brash about really anchoring the innings, whether he’s batting with one of those mature match-winners or one of the middle order.
“He played that role superbly well for a young guy, he’s got a cool head on his shoulders and it was a little bit of a breakout innings.
“It was an excellent knock.”
Peter Dickson led the way with the ball for the Lions, his haul of 2-19 taking him to 200 wickets just a fortnight after he entered the rarefied air of 10,000 runs for the club.
Goad (2-20) and Kobe Smith (2-38) also made life difficult for the Dogs, but it wasn’t enough.
Siddhesh Dixit removed three of Fitzroy Doncaster’s top-four batsmen on his way to figures of 3-30 from 10 overs after taking the new ball, while leg-spinner James Muirhead finished with 3-35 and dismantled the middle order.
Opener Jack Rudd (37) and No.3 Lakshmn Shivakkumar (35) laid a platform, but the Lions ultimately crumbled to be bowled out for 162 in 43.2 overs.
With Footscray’s pace-bowling stocks decimated – Jake Reed is out for the season, while Hamish Winter-Irving, Jonah Koch, Tallan Wright and Lucas Dredge are also sidelined – Wise was pleased his spin bowlers came to the fore.
“It’s no secret we’ve been disrupted with our pace attack this year, and even more so in recent times,” he said.
“The spinners are probably more suited to that shorter form of the game, especially the finger spinners in Sid and Russy.
“We’ve given Sid a few things to work on in short-form cricket, but he’s excellent. He’s always at the batter, competitive and he bowled superbly well in three spells.
“James is an aggressive wrist spinner, he’s got a lot of confidence and he got a couple of wickets. That’s what he’s in the side to do, to break partnerships, and he can change the course of games.
“Missing that front-line attack, that’s even more important for us at the moment.”
The third-placed Dogs will next tackle second-ranked Carlton in a final-round blockbuster.
Footscray is yet to rubberstamp the double chance, while the rampaging Blues are coming off a thumping eight-wicket win over Prahran.
“There’s probably no bigger challenge than the reigning premiers on their home turf and they’re clearly up there again and a formidable opponent,” Wise said.
“That will be a really good entree for finals. Clearly there’s a top-four spot on the line … so the challenges keep on coming.
“We’re going to embrace that challenge and keep playing the cricket we know we can.”