Pace ace Brody Couch etched his name into the record books during WA’s brilliant Sheffield Shield triumph over Tasmania by an innings and 45 runs at Ninja Stadium.

Having moved across the Nullarbor during the off-season, Victorian native Couch become the bowler to take a Shield hat-trick for WA when he removed Jake Doran (LBW), Lawrence Neil-Smith (bowled) and Kieran Elliott (bowled) in successive deliveries. 

The visitors dismissed the Tigers for 98 in the final session of the contest, with Couch’s feat the 33rd instance of a hat-trick occurring in the Shield. 

Veteran left-arm finger spinner Ashton Agar was critical on day four with 3-12 from 17.5 overs, after making 74 from 179 deliveries during WA’s only innings. 

Just last week Australian chairman of selectors Bailey said left-arm orthodox spin was “an incredible skillset in the sub-continent”, with a series in Sri Lanka next year on the horizon.

“Realistically there’s not a huge amount of players in domestic cricket that are doing it, so it is something we are looking to expose,” Bailey said.

Agar showcased great variety on the final day and dried up the runs, allowing the pace attack at the other end to also shine.

WA, winners of the past three Shield titles, had earlier taken a 143-run first innings lead after reaching 9(dec)-460 late on day three.

The hosts resumed at 2-10 needing one of their top order to dig in for a big score.

It was not to be, as left-arm quick Joel Paris swung a pearler in to Charlie Wakim to trap him LBW without troubling the scorers to the fifth ball of the morning.

Nightwatchman Gabe Bell (12) was undone by a perfect left-arm orthodox delivery from Agar that curled in and spun away to hit the top of the off stump.

Skipper Jordan Silk (11) was unable to get going and was trapped in front by an Agar skidder.

The cricket was attritional and moved at a snail’s pace but that was largely due to the accuracy of the bowling.

Tasmania faced 67.5 overs in the second innings with Jake Doran (16 off 145 balls) an example of how WA turned the screws.

Thirty-one-year-old Paris, playing his first game of the 2024-25 Shield season, showcased why he is one of the leading exponents of left-arm pace bowling in the country. His 2-18 in the second innings complemented the 4-45 he claimed in the first. At times he was unplayable on a surface that offered very little.

The WA performance was more meritorious considering strike bowler Matthew Kelly was rubbed out after suffering a quad injury in the first innings.

Captain Sam Whiteman was also ruled out the day before the match after straining his side at training, while first-choice players Cameron Bancroft (Australia A), Cooper Connolly (Australia A), Corey Rocchiccioli (Australia A), Aaron Hardie (Australia ODI), Josh Inglis (Australia ODI) and Mitch Marsh (paternity leave) were unavailable. 

Hilton Cartwright earned Player of the Match honours for his brilliant 153, propelling him to second on the Sheffield Shield run-scoring table with 327 runs at 81.75. 

Young top-order batters Jayden Goodwin (94) and Sam Fanning (68) made noteworthy contributions, while Couch (13 wickets at 23.15 in 2024-25) and evergreen seamer Cameron Gannon (12 at 21.08) finished the match as the competition’s top two wicket-takers. 

WA’s next Sheffield Shield assignment begins on Wednesday 13 November against Victoria at the MCG.