Victoria's Sam Harper followed up his twin tons against Western Australia with a 93-run knock against Tasmania on Thursday (March 5).
Sam Harper follows up 119 and 141* against WA with 93 against Tasmania
The wicketkeeper-batter put up a lone fight for Victoria in their ninth-round Sheffield Shield game against Tasmania in Hobart. Opening the batting, Harper lost his opening partner Campbell Kellaway and No.3 Blake Macdonald in the first over, bowled by Jackson Bird, with no runs on the board.
Peter Handscomb, coming in at No.4, became Bird’s third victim of the day, falling for 14 off 18 as Tasmania were reduced to 28-3. Matthew Short then joined Harper in the middle and provided some stability, adding 64 runs for the fourth wicket before becoming Riley Meredith’s first wicket of the day.
The wicketkeeper added a crucial 77 runs with Marcus Harris, while also completing his half-century in the process. However, just as he was about to make it three hundreds in three innings in the Sheffield Shield, Meredith had him caught by Beau Webster, with Victoria going five down with 169 runs on the board.
But Harris, too, couldn’t stay on for long, falling just a run and 10 deliveries later, before Victoria lost three more quick wickets. From 169-4, they were reduced to 188-9 and were eventually bowled out for 222. Tasmania, meanwhile, finished the first day on 52-4, 170 runs behind Victoria’s total.
Match 26, Tasmania vs Victoria
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Notably, Harper had scored 119 and 141* in the two innings of Victoria’s previous Shield game against Western Australia, becoming just the second designated wicketkeeper to hit hundreds in both innings of a Sheffield Shield game. His twin hundreds helped the side register a commanding 353-run win and strengthened their position at the top of the points table, confirming a home final.
This is the first season that Harper has opened the batting in first-class cricket. He was also named the BBL 2025/26 player of the tournament for scoring 371 runs at a strike-rate of 155.23 for Melbourne Stars, including a ton and two half-centuries.
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