After Chadd Sayers grabbed the best figures by a South Australian since 2001, Travis Head posted a superb 109
Match Report:
ScorecardHead pushes Test case with patient century
South Australia's Test hopeful Travis Head has posted a compelling century against a powerful NSW attack in the Marsh Sheffield Shield game in Adelaide.
Head, seeking to reclaim his Test spot for the Pakistan home series, made a fighting 109 on Saturday.
The Redbacks are 7-222 at stumps on day two, after bowling the Blues out for 289 with paceman Chadd Sayers collecting a career-best 8-64.
SA skipper Head was given an Ashes run of four Tests with middling returns of 191 runs at 27.28 before being axed for the fifth Test.
He's among a batch of batsmen seeking Shield runs before a high-stakes selection audition against Pakistan for Australia A from November 11 in Perth.
Alex Carey has been named captain of A side, with Head, Usman Khawaja, Joe Burns and Marcus Harris all wanting to press their claims for the first Test starting November 21.
Head's composed 214-ball innings featured nine fours but he was dismissed just three overs before stumps by Josh Hazlewood, while Tom Cooper (37) was the only other batsman to pass 20.
The 25-year-old Head's 11th first-class century came against a Blues bowling line-up featuring Test stars Hazlewood (1-58 from 20 overs) and Nathan Lyon (1-42 from 20).
Head's knock is timely for both his Test prospects and his state, but teammate Sayers has written off his chances, no matter how many wickets he takes.
Sayers' haul was the best by a South Australian since Jason Gillespie's 8-50 in 2001 as he made regular inroads into NSW's through their first innings.
The right-armer who made his Test debut against South Africa on their eventful tour of South Africa in 2018 was realistic when asked about his chances of winning his spot back.
"My aim now is just to play for South Australia, taking wickets and putting us in positions to win games," he told reporters after play Friday. "That's my focus now.
"The Aussie side is going really well now, they've got a lot of star bowlers. I think I'm a fair way down the rank now. I just enjoy playing for South Australia."
NSW debutant Daniel Solway dominated the visitors' innings with an unbeaten 133 and Peter Nevill made 53.
SA XI: Jake Weatherald, Henry Hunt, Callum Ferguson, Travis Head (c), Tom Cooper, Harry Nielsen (wk), Tom Andrews, Nick Winter, Chadd Sayers, Luke Robins, Wes Agar.
NSW XI: Daniel Hughes, Nick Larkin, Daniel Solway, Moises Henriques, Matthew Gilkes, Nick Bertus, Peter Nevill (c/wk), Trent Copeland, Nathan Lyon, Harry Conway, Josh Hazlewood.