Another Pucovski century puts more pressure on Test opener Burns
Another century from Will Pucovski continued to heap pressure on incumbent Test opener Joe Burns after he failed again for Queensland on Sunday.
Burns has just 46 runs to show from four Sheffield Shield knocks this season after departing early in the Bulls' clash against South Australia on Sunday in Adelaide.
Will Pucovski celebrated another ton, this time against WA.Credit:Getty Images
In what is the last Shield round before the summer's Test series against India, Burns was sent packing for 10 after a supposed inside edge – replays were not conclusive – off the bowling of Dan Worrall.
Having broken the all-time Shield partnership record last round, Pucovski and Marcus Harris picked up where they left off as Victoria batted first after being sent in by Western Australia at Adelaide's Karen Rolton Oval.
Joe Burns has scored 46 runs so far in his Shield campaign.Credit:Getty Images
On a day when a Biden-Harris partnership dominated headlines, Pucovski and Harris showed they go pretty well together too, putting on 186 for the first wicket before former Test opener Harris departed for 71 after being brilliantly caught by a diving Sam Whiteman.
However that didn't stop Pucovski, who stormed to his sixth first-class century in a performance that will make him very hard to leave out of the Australian squad, and perhaps even the XI, for the four-Test series against Virat Kohli's tourists.
Meanwhile after starting the season with back-to-back centuries, star Australian batsman Marnus Labuschagne has now made consecutive ducks after falling without scoring against the Redbacks. Labuschagne edged Chadd Sayers to second slip.
But the axed Usman Khawaja issued a reminder that he shouldn't be forgotten by selectors either, steering Queensland out of early trouble with a ton.
In the round's other match, Jackson Bird, Peter Siddle and Gabe Bell wreaked havoc at Gladys Elphick Park, routing NSW for just 64 – the state's third-lowest Shield total in history. Mitchell Starc top-scored with 18.