Shield final ‘in the balance’ as SA strike late blows

Victoria need 94 runs and South Australia five wickets when the Sheffield Shield decider resumes on Monday

Victoria will resume the deciding fifth day of the Sheffield Shield final with two nightwatchmen at the crease after South Australia’s double strike late on Sunday left the title clash on a knife’s edge.

Victoria are 5-102 and need another 94 runs to lift the Sheffield Shield tomorrow, but crucially they have three recognised batters still in the sheds in Oliver Peake, captain Will Sutherland and first-innings top-scorer Fergus O’Neill.

Henry Thornton and Liam Scott combined to remove set batters Peter Handscomb (28) and Marcus Harris (35) respectively in the final 15 minutes of day four after the senior pair led Victoria out of early trouble to reduce the runs required to under 100.

The hosts opted not to send out regular No.6 Peake when Handscomb fell slashing at a short delivery from Thorton as the shadows lengthened across Junction Oval, with substitute Mitch Perry – who replaced an injured Sam Elliott the day before – walking to the middle instead.

Peake remained in the dugout when Harris edged Scott to second slip in the next over, bringing the rare sight of a double nightwatchmen as Todd Murphy joined Perry at the crease with Victoria having lost 2-0 in the space of nine deliveries.

Perry and Murphy are both yet to score, surviving a testing three-over period before stumps where Murphy’s outside edge was beaten three balls in row by Scott in the final over of the day.

Victoria coach Chris Rogers said part of the reason for sending out two nightwatchmen was their belief that batting will become easier as the ball gets softer from this stage of the innings onwards.

“We just felt that was the right way to set us up to chase it down tomorrow,” he said at stumps.

“I think the deeper we can take this, the easier it’s going to get.

“The air felt like it got taken out of the ball a little bit and (the pitch) became easy to bat on (across the first three innings of the match), so that’s what we hope is going to happen.

“We’ve been in these situations before and come out on top. We’ve still got a lot of batting left in the shed, so I’ve got to believe that we can get it done.”

Alex Carey’s masterclass and Nathan McAndrew’s all-round brilliance pulled South Australia back from the brink earlier in day as Victoria threatened to run away with the title after Scott Boland (3-78) struck twice in two balls.

The defending champions were seven wickets down with a lead of just 59 when the star paceman removed Scott (14) and Ben Manenti for a golden duck. But Carey (103) saw off the hat-trick ball from his Test teammate at the beginning of his next over and then flipped the momentum of the match with a sublime century.

His rescue mission was aided by McAndrew (60) as they combined for the highest partnership of the match, putting on 105 for the eighth wicket to take SA from 7-122 to 8-227 when Vics captain Will Sutherland finally broke through midway through the second session.

McAndrew had earlier been given a life on 43 when he edged a cut shot off Boland that neither Handscomb nor his skipper were able to get a hand on in the slips. Sutherland made amends after lunch when his full delivery skidded low and rattled into middle stump, but not before the South Australian quick had added another 17 runs.

Murphy dismissed Thornton for a duck three overs later, but Carey brought up his ton with a single into the vacant infield on the off-side as he tried to farm the strike to protect No.11 Jordan Buckingham, who provided valuable late resistance with 10 not out.

It was Carey’s 10th first-class ton for his state and his second consecutive hundred in Sheffield Shield finals after his second innings 105 helped guide SA to their drought-breaking title last season.

The left-hander was the last man out as SA were dismissed for 258, caught by Handscomb at second slip as he tried to ramp O’Neill (2-32).

“It’s been a great contest for four days; we come back tomorrow and we’ll try our best to take those five wickets,” Carey said post-play. “It’s probably right in the balance at the moment.”

Carey signalled his intent in the days’ third over when he shimmied down the wicket and crunched O’Neill for a straight drive that whistled past the bowler’s left ear on its way to the rope – one of the six fours and a six that he hit during his 168-ball knock.

Scott also started positively with a brace of boundaries off Boland, but the Aussie star had his number in his following over when he was adjudged lbw to a delivery that decked in off the seam.

Scott seemed aggrieved when umpire Shawn Craig raised his finger after being hit on the knee roll, and his mood would hardly have improved when Manenti joined him in the changeroom moments later.

But there was no question about the second Boland wicket in as many deliveries as SA’s talisman copped rising delivery first ball that caught the edge and was gloved by wicketkeeper Harper above his head.

Boland basically conceded his hat-trick delivery at the start of his next over by trying to get Carey off strike with six fielders in the deep, and the Test ‘keeper seized on that pressure being released to change the course of the contest alongside with McAndrew.

Sheffield Shield final 2025-26

March 26-30: Victoria v South Australia, Junction Oval, Melbourne

The Sheffield Shield final will be broadcast live on cricket.com.au, the CA Live app, Foxtel and Kayo Sports