Victorian debutant Liam Blackford scored an unbeaten 149 to lead Victoria to a three-wicket victory over Queensland at Allan Border Field. Chasing 336, Victoria recovered from 84/5 to reach 339/7 with one ball remaining.
Blackford’s 113-ball innings set a new record for the highest score by an Australian on List A debut. This milestone eclipses the previous record of 132 set by Shaun Marsh for Western Australia in 2001. Blackford’s professional debut had been delayed by three years following a 2023 blood clot diagnosis.
The chase was supported by captain Will Sutherland, who scored 100 off 106 balls. Sutherland and Blackford shared a 152-run partnership for the sixth wicket to bring Victoria back into the match after the top-order collapse.
With 14 runs required from the final over, Queensland captain Marnus Labuschagne chose to bowl himself rather than specialist bowler Tom Straker, who had taken four wickets. Blackford struck 4, 2, 4, and 4 from the first four deliveries to secure the win.
Queensland’s total of 335/7 was posted in the absence of Matt Renshaw and Xavier Bartlett, who are currently in Zimbabwe for Australia’s ODI tour.
Victorian Head Coach Chris Rogers stated before the match: “We’ve been really pleased with the work everyone has put in over the past few months and there’s a genuine hunger take that onto the field.”
The victory places Victoria at the top of the One-Day Cup standings after the opening round. Queensland finished the match with Straker being the pick of the bowlers despite Labuschagne’s decision to bowl the final over.
