Western Australia lost eight wickets for only one run in their fourth match of the current One-Day Cup against Tasmania at the WACA Ground in Perth, falling from a comfortable 52/2 to 53 all-out in one of the most ridiculous batting collapses in recent memory. The defending champions' batting collapse resulted in the second-lowest team total in the history of the Australian domestic one-day cup.
The Western Australian side appeared to be laying a solid foundation after being sent into bat, reaching 52/2 in the 16th over. However, their middle and lower order abruptly and dramatically broke apart. They lost eight wickets for a single run, from a wide, in just twenty-eight deliveries. Six players, including some of Australia's white-ball prospects including Josh Inglis, Ashton Turner, Hilton Cartwright, and Ashton Agar, were dismissed without scoring as a result of this collapse.
Beau Webster spearheaded Tasmania's destructive bowling display, tearing through the Western Australian lineup and earning career-best figures of 6 for 17. Billy Stanlake, who finished with 3 for 17, provided him some support. With 22 runs, D'Arcy Short led Western Australia in scoring, and Cameron Bancroft was the only other player to score in double figures with 14.
Tasmania responded by easily chasing down the low goal of 54 runs, doing the task in just 8.3 overs to win by seven wickets. Mitchell Owen top-scored with 29 to guarantee a resounding victory for his team, despite Tasmania losing three wickets in their chase. Joel Paris (2/10) and Lance Morris (1/10) took wickets for Western Australia, but following the dramatic batting collapse, it was too little, too late.
Western Australia had previously suffered a severe collapse in this year's competition. They proceeded from 133/3 to 164 all-out while chasing 167 against South Australia in a previous encounter, which they lost as well. The reigning champions are already having difficulty holding onto their crown after suffering three defeats in their first four games. Tasmania will be ecstatic with a pivotal victory in their One-Day Cup campaign, but Western Australia will need to rapidly recover from this humbling loss.
