In a stunning turn of events, Western Australia's batting lineup suffered a catastrophic collapse, going from a comfortable 52/2 to an all-time low of 53 all-out in their One-Day Cup match against Tasmania on Friday.
This shocking performance ranks as the second-lowest total in the history of Australia's domestic one-day cup.
Sent in to bat, Western Australia appeared to be on solid ground, reaching 52/2 in the 16th over. However, in a dramatic twist, they lost eight wickets for just one run—accrued from a wide—within a mere 28 balls. Six players fell without scoring, including several white-ball prospects like Hilton Cartwright, Ashton Turner, Ashton Agar, and Josh Inglis.
Tasmania’s Beau Webster was the chief architect of the collapse, delivering a career-best performance with figures of 6 for 17. He was well-supported by Billy Stanlake, who took 3 for 17. D'Arcy Short emerged as the top scorer for Western Australia with just 22 runs, while Cameron Bancroft contributed 14, the only other double-digit score in a disastrous innings.
In response, Tasmania easily chased down the modest target of 54 runs, finishing at 56/3 in just 8.3 overs for a comfortable seven-wicket victory. Mitchell Owen led the charge with a top score of 29. While Joel Paris (2/10) and Lance Morris (1/10) claimed a few wickets for Western Australia, it was too late to alter the course of the match after such a shocking batting performance.
This collapse is not an isolated incident for Western Australia; earlier in the tournament, they crumbled from 133/3 to 164 all-out while chasing a target of 167 against South Australia. With three losses in four matches, the defending champions are now struggling to reclaim their title.
