MACKAY (Queensland, Australia): Defending champions Queensland suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Tasmania in Round 4, while PNG Barramundis continued their winning streak, securing victories in both their matches in Rounds 4 and 5 on the third day of the 2026 edition of the National Indigenous Cricket Championships (NICC) here on Thursday.
PNG Barramundis beat South Australia in their Round 4 match and Northern Territory in their Round 5 match.
Batting first in a match reduced to 8 overs due to ground conditions, Queensland scored 68 for 6. As the batsmen kept trooping back to the pavilion, only Darcy Graham showed some resistance, scoring unbeaten 24 off 11 balls. Tasmanian bowler Eli Sheean proved devastating, sending back four Queensland batsmen back in a span of 21 runs. He gave away only 11 runs in his 2 overs. Tasmania crawled to victory, reaching 72 for the loss of 3 wickets with only 1 ball to spare. Opener Josh Walmsley top-scored with 27 off 19 balls (5 x 4).
PNG Barramundis beat South Australia by 7 wickets in their Round 4 match. Batting first, South Australia scored 114 for 6 in 20 overs. Opener Tyler Latham scored 37 off 41 balls (3 x 4, 1 x 6). In reply, PNG Barramundis reached the target of 115 in the 13th over itself, losing only 3 wickets alone the way. Opener Sese Bau led from the front, hitting a masterly 52 off 43 balls (5 x 4, 1 x 6).
In another match, Victoria got the better of Northern Territory by 8 wickets. Batting first, Northern Territory could manage only 100 in their 20 overs, losing 8 wickets along the way. For Victoria, Samuel Field scalped 4 for 17 in 4 overs. In reply, Victoria scored 102 in 12.2 overs, losing only 2 wickets along the way. Opener Kane Hawkins scored 50 off 39 balls (6 x 4, 1 x 6).
In one more match, Western Australia beat New South Wales by 25 runs. Batting first, Western Australia scored 161 for 4 in 20 overs, thanks to an unbeaten half century by Elijah Dare, who came in to bat at number 5. Dare hit 5 sixes and 1 boundary off the 27 deliveries that he faced. In reply, New South Wales were bundled out for 136 in 19.2 overs. Four of their batsmen returned to the pavilion in the space of only 1 run – 2 wickets fell with the score at 48, and another 2 when the board read 49, as Dane Ugle and D’Arcy Short scalped 2 apiece.
Round 5 saw PNG Barramundis tighten their grip on the tournament with an emphatic win against Northern Territory, while Queensland sent South Australia packing in a low-scoring thriller.
Western Australia beat Tasmania by 6 wickets. Batting first, Tasmania scored 163 for 4 thanks to a swashbuckling 77 not out by opener Josh Walmsley (59 balls, 6 x 4, 2 x 6). However, his heroics were in vain as Western Australia reached the target 164 with one ball to spare, losing 4 wickets along the way. Dane Ugle dazzled with 75 off 58 balls (11 4, 1 x 6), while D’Arcy Short set the arena ablaze with a fiery 57 off 39 balls (3 x 4, 4 x 6).
PNG Barramundis blanked out Northern Territory by 8 wickets. Batting first, Northern Territory 108 for 4 thanks to some insipid batting by their men, with only opener Kael Newcombe showing some resistance to reach an unbeaten 40 in 53 balls. In reply, PNG Barramundis scored 111 for 2 in 17.3 overs in emphatic fashion. Openers Hila Vare and Patrick Nou put on 105 for the first wicket before making their exit in quick succession. Vare scored 64 off 52 balls (6 x 4, 1 x 6), while Nou (33 off 48 balls, 2 x 4), leaving little work to do for the batsmen who followed.
Jacob Turner turned hero for Queensland as they beat South Australia by 4 wickets in a low-scoring thriller. For Queensland, Turner figured in 6 dismissals, as he scalped 3 wickets for 20 runs in 4 overs, took 1 catch, caused 1 run-out and assisted in another as South Australia, batting first, were bundled out for only 88 runs. Chasing the target, Queensland were rattled by the loss of 3 quick wickets, losing opener Joshua Wilson for a duck with the scorecard at 0. They lost 2 more wickets when the score was at 6 – opener George Fisher (1 run) and Darcy Graham for a duck. Jamison Allan (35 off 35 balls, 4 x 4, 1 x 6) and Jaecob Prien (19 runs) then stabilized the innings, while Dylan McLachlan finished off the work with an unbeaten 21 (13 balls, 2 x 6).
Victoria beat New South Wales by 4 wickets. Batting first, New South Wales 146 for 8. Pat Jackson scalped 3for 30 runs in 4 overs. Victoria scored 148 for 6 in 17.4 overs. Damon Egan shone with the bat, scoring an unbeaten 53 off 34 balls (4 x 4, 3 x 6).
No matches will be played on Friday, which is a cultural day.
Rounds 6 and 7 of the men’s section will be played on Saturday. In Round 6, Tasmania will play New South Wales, Western Australia will face PNG Barramundis, South Australia will play Northern Territory, and Victoria will face Queensland. In Round 7, Tasmania will play Northern Territory, Victoria will play South Australia, Western Australia will play Queensland, and New South Wales will play PNG Barramundis.
The final match will be played on Sunday in one-day limited overs format.
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