Australian cricket captain Steve Smith and paceman Mitchell Starc displayed more good pre-Ashes form in the Sheffield Shield on Monday, with a hat-trick the headline act.
At Sydney's Hurstville Oval, Starc (4-56) continued his sizzling start to a season in which he has taken 14 Sheffield Shield wickets in three innings at an average of just 12.5.
He produced a trio of successive ferocious yorkers which bowled Jason Behrendorff, trapped David Moody lbw and rattled No.11 Simon Mackin's stumps to end the WA innings for 176 and give NSW a first-innings lead of 94.
Smith added an unbeaten 74 to the 76 he scored in the Blues' first innings as he led NSW to 2-166 - and a lead of 260 - by stumps on day three.
He compiled an unbroken third-wicket partnership of 124 with Kurtis Patterson, who finished the day unbeaten on 60.
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Smith struck eight fours and added a pulled six over midwicket off paceman Simon Mackin.
But it was Starc who had the small crowd cheering loudest on a day shortened by two rain delays.
"They are taking the Mickey out of me for cleaning up the tail again, but someone's got to do it. So it was good fun," Starc said following his first hat-trick.
"I am pretty sure they all know where it is going and they all keep missing it so I will keep bowling it for now.
"I was pretty happy with my rhythm yesterday and today."
Fellow Blues and Test quicks Josh Hazlewood (3-24) and Pat Cummins (2-31) also kept he pressure on the Warriors.
"We had a little bit of a laugh before we walked out yesterday - it's our first first-class fixture together," Starc said of the Blues' Test pace trio.
NSW and Australian opener David Warner was dismissed for five for the second time in the game.
Opener Cameron Bancroft supplied the only sustained WA resistance, carrying his bat for their top score of 76, the highest score by a wicketkeeper in Shield cricket this season.
It's believed he's the first wicketkeeper in Shield history to carry his bat.
He batted for 286 minutes and survived for 187 balls against a NSW quartet that is widely tipped to comprise Australia's first Test attack.
"It was extremely challenging, they are quite relentless, they don't really give you any freebies," Bancroft said.
