Sam Konstas struggles once more as NSW and Victoria come up short in Sheffield Shield clashes

Sam Konstas faced disappointment once more in his much-anticipated return to the Sheffield Shield, falling short of guiding NSW to a win.

Tasked with chasing down 418 against Queensland, NSW began strong on the third day. However, Konstas couldn’t sustain that momentum into day four.

Having finished day three on 9 not out, showcasing some remarkable reverse ramps and aggressive batting, the 19-year-old could only contribute an additional 13 runs on day four.

He was dismissed by promising young bowler Tom Straker, departing after scoring just 22 runs.

This setback means the opening batsman now averages a mere 18 runs across his last eight innings across Test, BBL, and Shield formats.

Kurtis Patterson followed him, scoring just 18 in the second innings and leaving NSW in a precarious position at 5-66.

Despite a solid effort from Jack Edwards (53 off 150) and Josh Philippe (80 off 143), who had given NSW hope of salvaging a draw, the visitors ultimately fell short thanks to some clever bowling by veteran Michael Neser.

Neser finished with remarkable figures of 3-72 in the second innings, adding to his 3-32 from the first. Xavier Bartlett also impressed, taking seven wickets throughout the match.

The Bulls secured a comfortable 188-run victory on home soil.

Meanwhile, Victoria experienced a narrow defeat against Tasmania, falling short by just 20 runs, despite a valiant innings from Peter Handscomb.

Handscomb returned from his time with the Australian Test squad in Sri Lanka, though he didn’t play any matches. He scored a notable 93 off 162 in Victoria’s second innings.

It seemed that Victoria was in a strong position following Handscomb’s heroics, but Kieran Elliott from Tasmania turned the tide, capturing an impressive 6-84 to lead the hosts to victory.

Elliott’s impressive performance saw him claim 10 wickets in total across both innings, turning the match in favour of the Tigers.

However, he had to overcome a brief resistance from Victorian captain Will Sutherland (18 off 16) and Peter Siddle before sealing the victory for Tasmania.