South Australia v Tasmania at Adelaide: CricInfo Report

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South Australia v Tasmania at Adelaide
2-5 Mar 2000 (Lawrie Colliver & John Polack)

Day1 | Day2 | Day3 | Day4

Day1: Run feast sees SA on top after day one

In extreme heat, South Australia had assumed a distinct advantage over Tasmania by stumps on day one of the teams' Pura Milk Cup match at the Adelaide Oval. The Redbacks closed at a massive 4/403, with skipper Darren Lehmann unbeaten on 111 after he had cashed in on a double century opening stand by David Fitzgerald (128) and Shane Deitz (85) that lasted deep into the second session.

When the toss was taken at 10.30, both captains naturally seemed rather eager to win it; for Jamie Cox and the Tasmanians alas, the call was made incorrectly. Bowlers Damien Wright (0/81), Mark Ridgway (0/45) and Andrew Downton (0/76) all looked ineffective as the openers went for their shots in the first session. Fitzgerald was first to reach his half century (doing so just before lunch), while Deitz, who later suffered from heat exhaustion, raised his maiden first class fifty fifteen minutes after a much needed lunch break.

The pair continued on until the union reached 233; this was when Deitz was smartly stumped down the leg side by Mark Atkinson standing up to the stumps to medium-pacer Shaun Young (1/60). In the next over, Fitzgerald, who was also showing signs of exhaustion, jumped down the wicket to off spinner Daniel Marsh (2/84) and was also stumped, there ending an innings which contained twenty-one crisp, predominantly off side boundaries.

After tea, Bradley Young (14) looked surprised to be given out caught behind off the perservering Marsh, but one could hardly deny Tasmania some luck on a fierce Adelaide day. In any case, the visitors' torment only continued when incoming batsman Chris Davies (29) delighted the crowd of 360 with some lovely drives through the off side upon his arrival. At the other end, Lehmann brought up his fifty in just over an hour and started to really take over, hitting Marsh for a huge six into the Public Stand at mid wicket. Sadly for the locals, Davies could not see Lehmann to his hundred and he was well held at slip off the bowling of medium pacer Scott Kremerskothen (1/14) with the total at 377 and his leader perched on 96. Ben Johnson (11*) greeted the Tasmanians with a clip off the toes for a first ball boundary and then, to much acclamation three overs later, Lehmann edged Young with the new ball just past Cox in the gully to bring up the three figures.

The best of a weary attack was Marsh, even if he yielded little response from a perfect pitch. Debutant left arm spinner Shannon Tubb (0/29) also toiled hard after a nervous beginning. All in all, Tasmania have an unenviable task in front of them and, given that the South Australians have little chance of making the competition final, there is equally little chance of a generous declaration.

Day2: Tigers show little snarl as match slows to a crawl

South Australia continues to maintain a strong position after two days of its Pura Milk Cup clash against Tasmania at the Adelaide Oval. The Redbacks hold a lead of 298 runs at this point of the match after their opponents closed the day at 3/204, with Daniel Marsh unbeaten on 57 and a labouring Scott Kremerskothen on 12 following nearly two hours at the crease.

The Apple Islanders are still 149 runs short of the follow on figure after the home team had added ninety-nine runs in just over an hour earlier in the day to end at 5/502; captain Darren Lehmann finishing at 149 himself before being bowled by Shaun Young. Ben Johnson played some crisp drives to finish unbeaten on 65 off just sixty-seven balls with eight boundaries.

Jason Gillespie marked his return to first class cricket with three separate spells in his fifteen overs (which yielded 0/29), and his spell of five late in the day was very impressive. Gillespie opened the bowling from the Bradman Stand End and generated a good amount of pace. With the new ball due in just three overs in the morning, the speedster will doubtless be keen to get amongst the wickets. He did launch one big appeal for leg before wicket from the fourth ball of his fifth over when bowling to opener Dene Hills (63), but Umpire Steve Davis rejected the enquiry on the grounds that the ball clearly pitched outside the line of leg stump.

After the Tasmanian openers had seen their team safely through to lunch, South Australia picked up Jamie Cox for 38, trapped in front by left arm paceman Brett Swain (1/37). Then, after some positive batting, Michael Divenuto (30) was well held at slip by Gillespie in left arm spinner Bradley Young's (1/43) second over. South Australia had further success just after tea when the resolute Hills edged a cut off Paul Wilson (1/30) to make it 3/140. But from there, Marsh and Kremerskothen batted it through to the close. Kremerskothen, who was dropped behind the wicket by Graham Manou in the day's third last over (from Peter McIntyre), was particularly circumspect against the tight attack and added just three runs in the final eighty minutes.

Tasmania's batsmen collectively struggled to push the scoring rate along at all in the final session as they compiled just seventy-five runs in the thirty-five overs bowled to them. They will certainly need to provide a more positive approach tomorrow for them to be any chance in the match.

Day3: Platform assembled for exciting finish

A bold piece of captaincy from South Australia's Darren Lehmann has breathed life into a previously flagging Pura Milk Cup match against Tasmania here at the Adelaide Oval today. Faced with the choice of enforcing the follow on after his team finally brought to an end to a lengthy (if somewhat unproductive) Tasmanian first innings in mid afternoon, Lehmann opted instead to rest his weary bowlers, and to quickly set about the task of building his team's lead to a point from which it will be able to exert maximum pressure on the Tigers tomorrow.

It was a decision which paved the way for a breezy assault from the Redbacks' top order late in the day - one which saw them finish at 6/178 and in command by a matter of 343 runs overall. The manner of the locals' batting in this period stood in stark contrast to the earlier play of the visitors. Scott Kremerskothen, who battled away for just under three hours to compile 23, was the main offender, but most of the Tasmanians who batted today did so in a painstaking manner. It took no less than the number eleven player, Mark Ridgway (30), to illustrate to his teammates how they instead should have gone about the task, his entertaining innings inspiring a last wicket partnership of forty-nine with Mark Atkinson (30*) that ultimately steered his team to 337, and a deficit of 165 runs.

On a pitch still well suited to batsmen, the Redbacks' bowlers had performed a lionhearted mission in finally dismissing the visitors for this score. Redoubtable paceman Paul Wilson (4/43) captured most of the honours with his typically sound blend of consistent pace and suffocating length. Left arm paceman Brett Swain (2/45) similarly bowled with good control for the most part. It was also heartening to see a visibly delighted Jason Gillespie (2/54) capture the vital wickets of Daniel Marsh (72) and Shaun Young (4) on his return to first class cricket after a lengthy injury-enforced absence.

When the Redbacks returned to the crease, opener David Fitzgerald (50) played another sound innings, but individual milestones and concerns took a back seat as the home team set off in a rapid pursuit of runs. They were well thwarted by some tremendous medium pace bowling from Young (1/37), who tied them down at one end, and some impressive left arm pace bowling from Andrew Downton (1/21) for a period at the other. Downton's ability to induce Lehmann (18) to bottom edge a ball on to his stumps was a crucial blow for the Tasmanians, and it meant that the South Australians endured an unwanted, albeit brief, period of relative inactivity before a hobbling Chris Davies (50) and Ben Johnson (27*) again re-ignited the scoreboard.

Day4: Redbacks seal dominant display

At the end of four days during which they dominated their opponents, South Australia has completed a 99 run victory over Tasmania in the teams' Pura Milk Cup match at the Adelaide Oval today. After having been set a target of 343 to win, the Tasmanians were bundled out for a second innings score of 244 less than an hour into the final session.

After enlivening the match late yesterday with his decision not to enforce the follow on, South Australian captain Darren Lehmann added a further attacking touch by declaring the Redbacks' second innings closed at the overnight score of 6/178. This set the stage for a terrific day's cricket.

Following a brilliant catch from Lehmann himself at a shortish forward square leg position in the second over to remove opposite number Jamie Cox (0), Tasmania was in tremendous touch at first. Michael DiVenuto (61) and Dene Hills (50) played delightfully, frustrating almost the entirety of the attack with an exciting mixture of shots. They took the score to 1/121 before they were parted, and had seemed to be giving the impetus to their team to make a real match of things.

But with the dismissal of Hills to a leg before wicket decision as he padded up at a ball outside the line of off stump and turning back from Peter McIntyre (2/63) came a solid shift. That breach in Tasmania's defences was further exposed when DiVenuto impetuously tried to smash a Bradley Young (3/36) delivery over mid wicket in the very last over before lunch, only to watch in horror as the result of his injudicious act was a top edge and an easy catch to Jason Gillespie backpedalling from slip. From there, Tasmania's shaky looking middle and lower order again illustrated its vulnerability. On a wearing pitch which offered prodigious turn and bounce to spinners McIntyre and Young, the Tigers were indeed never really any chance of hauling in the target once DiVenuto had departed.

The South Australians, for their part, closed out their last home match of the season in fine style in front of an enthusiastic crowd. All of the bowlers performed well, even if they did err a little on the short side at times during the Hills-DiVenuto stand. Their fielding was also excellent, and it was probably fitting that they wrapped up their victory when man of the match David Fitzgerald's enthusiastic pursuit of a ball from short leg created confusion between the final Tasmanian pair and an ensuing run out.

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