Bulls up for fight with Tas in North
FRESH off making a resurgent century, Usman Khawaja and the Queensland Bulls will bring their first home game of the Sheffield Shield season to North Queensland.
The Bulls were forced to relocate their opening-round clash from the Gold Coast to South Australia at the 11th hour earlier this month but it’s understood the side will finally return “home” next week.
Queensland is expected to meet Tasmania for the second time this season at Riverway Stadium with the clash likely to kick-start a fresh round of fixtures.
It is understood the Shield clash will run from October 27-30 and will be followed by a Marsh One-day Cup fixture on Monday, November 1.
Cricket Australia is expected to officially confirm the next round of fixtures on Wednesday afternoon.
It will be the final schedule change for the Riverway Stadium clash which was originally set for early October before it was moved after a rebuke from AFL Townsville which was forced to take its finals series off the international-standard venue.
While Cricket Australia has not confirmed the final dates for the clash, it is understood talks have advanced to the point where the facility has begun final preparations for the clash.
Queensland Cricket Northern staff were forced to vacate their offices at Riverway Stadium on Tuesday with desks and computers carted out to make space for a coach’s box.
Junior programs like the Master Blasters have also been postponed next week with parents notified via email on Tuesday.
The Sheffield Shield clash will be the first time the national competition has come to Townsville in more than three years and will be free for spectators.
North Queensland’s own former Bull Luke Feldman was adamant the Townsville cricketing faithful needed to come out and support the state side while it was in town.
“Hopefully the Bulls will put on a better performance than the Maroons did earlier this year,” Feldman said.
“The cricketers will turn up and deliver for the people of Townsville, unlike our football brothers.”
The Bulls will enter the clash off the back of strong form which included both Khawaja (174) and Jimmy Pierson (132) scoring tons in their draw against South Australia earlier this week.
Feldman was adamant the Bulls’ world-class batting lineup, which also includes world No.4 Test batsman Marnus Labuschagne and former Baggy Green regulars Matt Renshaw and Joe Burns, would be crucial to success on a Riverway Stadium “belter”.