Watch: Joel Paris took a spectacular catch at gully to seal Western Australia’s hat-trick of Sheffield Shield titles.
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In the 2023/24 Sheffield Shield final at the WACA, Western Australia rode on captain Sam Whiteman’s 104 to post 347. Tasmania reached 69-1, then 141-3 in response, before collapsing to 186 as Corey Rocchiccioli claimed 4-48 and Caleb Jewell top-scored with 47.
Hilton Cartwright’s 94 then helped Western Australia amass 376 and set Tasmania a target of 538. At 26-3, the match was as good as over, but captain Jordan Silk (46) held on. However, they slipped from 142-5 to 158-9, and the end seemed near.
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The last pair added two before a ball from Cameron Gannon took the outside edge of Ian Carlisle’s bat and sped to the right of Joel Paris at gully.
Paris had opened bowling and sent down 10 of the 41 overs in the innings, but he still showed tremendous reflex to fly to his right and come up with a spectacular catch with both hands.
It completed Western Australia’s second hat-trick of Sheffield Shield titles: they had previously won three consecutive titles between 1986/87 and 1988/89. New South Wales’ nine consecutive titles, between 1953/54 and 1961/62, remains the Sheffield Shield record.
Watch the Joel Paris catch that clinched Western Australia’s Sheffield Shield title hat-trick:
PARIS!!!
A screamer in the gully seals WA's third-straight #SheffieldShield title 🏆🏆🏆 pic.twitter.com/BAg05wjRKD
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) March 24, 2024