Young Tasmania quick Riley Meredith claimed the prized scalp of centurion Steve Smith as he ran through NSW’s middle order to help dismiss the Blues for 364 in the Sheffield Shield.
Meredith finished with career-best figures of 5-98 as the Blues lost their last eight wickets for 78 runs but still claimed a 96-run first-innings lead on the third morning.
While Smith (106) and Moises Henriques (124) had both brought up their hundreds on day two, Meredith was the standout on Sunday morning at Sydney’s Drummoyne Oval.
The 23-year-old, who last summer had Shane Warne championing his case for World Cup selection, claimed three wickets in four balls as part of a nine-over spell of 4-14.
He also broke a 197-run stand between Smith and Henriques when he had the latter caught behind off a hook shot before bowling Peter Nevill first ball.
He then claimed the biggest wicket of his career in Smith, with an inswinging yorker that rebounded off the star batsman’s boot and onto the stumps.
Smith had added just four runs to his overnight score, after bringing up his first century on Australian soil since the ball-tampering scandal last March.
Mitchell Starc was also bowled by Meredith for two and returned later to have Shaun Abbott (24) caught to a fine Jordan Silk catch at leg slip.
Test aspirant Kurtis Patterson batted at No.11 with a runner and finished unbeaten on 16, after aggravating a quad injury while fielding on Thursday.