WHILE Queensland fell by five runs to Western Australia, batsman Matthew Renshaw was the spark that gave the defeated Bulls a glimpse of hope in the Marsh One Day Cup on Saturday afternoon.

It was a classic finish that saw Renshaw almost drag his side over the line after reaching a classy century, but he was run out in dramatic fashion as Western Australia escaped with its fourth win of the season, while Queensland’s search for breakthrough points continues.

After Western Australia posted a defendable total of 236 behind a defensive, but effective 73-run innings from Josh Philippe, the Bulls looked in serious strife after their opening three batsmen combined for just 12 runs, with Jason Behrendorff claiming two scalps with his tricky seam deliveries.

Renshaw came in needing to steady the ship, but never looked timid or unsure as he remained aggressive with his shot selection to give Queensland a fighting chance right up until the dying stages of the game.

Western Australia (10/236) def. Queensland Bulls (10/231)

Matthew Renshaw – 104 (114)

Renshaw came in at four with big names in Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja caught on five and four respectively, and he had a lot to do at the crease. He started the game scanning the field, managing just one run from his first 10 balls faced. Smart placement saw three runs on his 11th delivery and he began to see the ball a bit better, with his confidence only growing.

His first boundary came shortly after, flicking the ball off his pads past cover down leg side to get his innings rolling. He began to form a nice partnership with Max Bryant, but it was broken when the latter misjudged his timing and was trapped in front. Despite a plethora of different batting partners, Renshaw continued to push Queensland’s score along, finding the boundary with his terrific shot selection, highlighted by a clever flick past the keeper where leg slip could have been for another four.

Renshaw brought up his 50 in just 63 deliveries, and given how well he was judging the ball, looked destined for a big day. He began to look at his best when driving the ball down the ground past the bowler, with long on and long off unable to make up the ground before the ball would skid over the rope.

The West Australian bowlers tried to conjure a catch with shorter deliveries, but were still punished with big hook shots down leg side, which was how Renshaw brought up his ton as Queensland edged closer to the required score.

The Bulls needed seven runs from the final over, and Renshaw looked as likely as anyone to get the job done. He turned down risky singles on the first two deliveries, and then could not conjure a shot from the third delivery, which was a full ball down leg side. Ball number four saw Renshaw finally dismissed, run out after trying to get back for a second run, with Queensland unable to get the job done.

Although it was a tough loss, Renshaw could not have done much more with bat in hand, showcasing how deep his shot arsenal can be.