Travis gives Warriors a Head-ache in Shield

An unbeaten 72 from South Australia captain Travis Head ensured Western Australia will have a tricky chase to win their JLT Sheffield Shield clash at the WACA Ground.

It has been two days dominated by the ball with 30 wickets already falling but Head stood tall on Monday to guide his side to 8-218, an overall lead of 220.

The middle-order Test batsman is the only player to reach a half-century in the match as he tries to lead his side to a first victory this season.

Daniel Worrall is with him, unbeaten on 13.

WA started the second day at 4-75 in reply to the Redbacks' 159. Only a handy 47 from Josh Philippe got WA to within touching distance of the SA total.

Nick Winter starred for the Redbacks with 4-23 while Daniel Worrall swung the Dukes ball impressively taking 3-60.

South Australia started their second innings losing Jake Weatherald early for five but then threatened to take the game away for WA with a 67-run stand between Connor McInerney and Jake Lehmann.

Hilton Cartwright again played partnership breaker getting rid of McInerney for 46 caught by Josh Inglis.

Lehmann fell soon after for 30 and then there was a steady stream of wickets with Head proving the mainstay for the visitors.

Matt Kelly took 4-55 for WA and while the ball has dominated the game, the hot Perth weather might be making life for batsmen a little easier.

"The game's moving pretty quickly and with the wicket we've got here, it's going to be doing that," Kelly said.

"We had patches of really good bowling today and that's when we took most of our wickets. We just have to maintain that and get the two early ones tomorrow."

WA XI: Cameron Bancroft, Sam Whiteman, Josh Inglis, Mitch Marsh, Hilton Cartwright, Josh Philippe, D'Arcy Short, Joel Paris, Matthew Kelly, Liam Guthrie, David Moody

SA XI: Jake Weatherald, Conor McInerney, Jake Lehmann, Travis Head (c), Callum Ferguson, Tom Cooper, Harry Nielsen (wk), Nick Winter, Joe Mennie, Daniel Worrall, Luke Robins