Tasmania 8 for 329 (Wade 146, Jewell 53, Dwarshuis 4-88) vs New South Wales

Matthew Wade has proven himself to be a man for a crisis yet again after his century inspired a Tasmania fightback in their Sheffield Shield clash with New South Wales.

Wade struck 146 off 198 balls to lead Tasmania to 8 for 329 at stumps on day one at Blundstone Arena. The wicketkeeper arrived at the crease after lunch with the Tigers in trouble at 4 for 56.

NSW paceman Chris Tremain (3-49) caused the early damage with the wickets of Tim Ward (5), Jake Doran (2) and Jordan Silk (9) to put Tasmania on the back foot. The departure of Caleb Jewell for 53 left the Tigers wobbling at 5 for 95.

Wade has built a reputation for digging his teams out of trouble with rearguard fightbacks and this occasion was no different. The 34-year-old's driving through the covers was exquisite, with his timing and placement a feature. His 114-run partnership with Beau Webster (41) put Tasmania back on track, and Jarrod Freeman (32) and Jackson Bird (28 not out) joined in on the fun to further frustrate NSW's attack.

Wade finished with 18 fours and one six before being dismissed by Ben Dwarshuis (4-88) on the final ball of the day. It meant Wade fell just six runs short of matching his highest first-class score of 152.

The Blues lost in-form batter Daniel Hughes to Covid-19 before play in a major blow. He scored 91 in his most recent Shield match, and followed it up with 139 in NSW's one-day loss to South Australia.

Tim Paine was a notable absentee for Tasmania, with Doran instead named as wicketkeeper.