Langer keeps WA on Cup title track

HOBART, Feb 9 AAP - Western Australia skipper Justin Langer's bold knock set up a comfortable ING Cup victory over third-placed Tasmania, leaving his cricket team just one point behind leader Queensland.

The Test opener top scored with 89 runs off 92 balls as WA cruised to victory with five wickets and 2.2 overs to spare after being set a target of 246 at Bellerive Oval.

Langer's innings included 11 fours and one six that soared over the top of the Stuart Spencer stand before he fell LBW to Dan Marsh.

Tasmanian cricket officials would have been relieved to hear Langer and Tigers counterpart Jamie Cox praise the Bellerive Oval wicket.

Today's match came just four days after the Pura Cup fiasco when play between Tasmania and WA was abandoned on the second day after the umpires declared the pitch - adjacent to today's wicket - unsafe for batsmen.

An ACB investigation into that embarrassment is underway but both captains were satisfied with today's wicket, which was last used for an ACB Cup match in January.

"Today was fantastic," Cox said.

"There's quality in there, but it certainly has to improve."

Sent in to bat, Tasmania made 7-245 from its 50 overs.

Warriors paceman Callum Thorp destroyed the Tigers' chances of a big total after openers Michael Dighton and Michael DiVenuto rattled on 92 runs off 104 balls.

He made a double breakthrough by dismissing Dighton (33) and DiVenuto (54) and was on a hat-trick when he claimed the wicket of Graeme Cunningham.

Playing in only his fifth one-day game for the Warriors, Thorp finished with 4-46 from his 10 overs.

Batting at No.7 George Bailey top scored for the Tigers with an unbeaten 57.

The home team felt the absence of leading bowler Damien Wright keenly.

Wright, who is suffering a back injury and is likely to be out for the rest of the season, was replaced by fellow paceman Shane Jurgensen, who proved expensive with 0-66 from 10 overs.

Langer shared an opening stand of 81 with Ryan Campbell (31) while Michael Hussey saw the Warriors home to victory with an unbeaten 65.

"Wrighty was a big loss," Cox acknowledged.

"You can't just replace one of probably the top three bowlers of the competition all that easily.

"It hurt us. You know, you take two for 30 out of our bowling and it's going to hurt any side."

"It looks like he will probably miss the rest of the season."

Queensland leads the Cup table with 27 points followed by WA on 26 and Tasmania on 20.