Honours even in Shield opener despite Hilton's ton

Hilton Cartwright's first Marsh Sheffield Shield century in almost four years halted South Australia's bold victory charge today and ultimately ensured the summer's opening first-class fixture ended in a run-rich draw.
 

 

Western Australia were 6-292 in their second innings and 265 runs ahead when both teams decided no result was possible and agreed to share the points shortly before the scheduled tea break on day four.
 

 

It ensured Cartwright finished unbeaten on 121, his highest Shield score since he scored 170no against New South Wales in 2016-17, the same summer in which he played the first of his two Tests to date, against Pakistan at the SCG.

 

 

 

The presence of fellow power-hitting all-rounders Cameron Green and Mitchell Marsh in WA's star-studded batting line-up has squeezed opportunities for Cartwright in recent years.
 

 

So it was understandable the powerfully built 29-year-old was ecstatic when he reached his first Shield hundred since March 2018 (also against SA) with a bludgeoning six over square leg off Redbacks leg spinner Lloyd Pope.
 

 

"I have been keeping track," Cartwright said this evening of the 1292 days that have elapsed since his previous Shield ton.
 

 

"I certainly had a lot of emotions getting into the changerooms.
 

 

"It's been a long road for me, so I'm really happy, firstly, that I was able to get the opportunity to play this game.
 

 

"I was very disappointed in the first innings when I felt I let one (opportunity) go, and then to get that one today I'm really happy."
 

 

Cartwright, whose most recent Test appearance came during Australia's two-match tour to Bangladesh in 2017, acknowledges the century drought can be partly attributed to batting in WA's middle-order since 2018-19 with teammates like Shaun Marsh and Green dominating.

 

 

 

But he also concedes he hasn’t made the most of chances when they have arisen, having averaged just 27.50 with three scores of 50-plus since that hundred at Glenelg Oval in autumn 2018.
 

 

He has made changes to his batting technique which he believes has him back in the sort of form that led to his selection in place of Nic Maddinson for the final Test of 2016-17, although he now considers his seam bowling as a handy option rather than an essential element of his game.
 

 

"There's definitely been other opportunities, even within the last 12 months, to create hundreds but I just haven't quite got there," he said.
 

 

"In and amongst that, a few form and technique changes have been quite a big feature in what's happened in my game over the past two years.
 

 

"They were changes for the better, it's just been a very long road back to getting some reward like I did today.
 

 

"But I feel like I've been in that form (that earned him Test selection) for the best part of 12 months, it's just that I lost my opportunity in the side, so I couldn't showcase that in first-class cricket like I had three or four years ago.

 

"I think if I'm going to play for Australia, or if I'm going to play dominantly in this Western Australia side, it's going to be as a top-order batter.
 

 

"I'll keep chipping away at my bowling and I've got a lot of improvements to make.
 

 

"But it's definitely going to be a batting focus for me to be able to stay in the WA side and, if the opportunity comes, higher honours."
 

 

 

Cartwright went to the wicket this morning with WA's second innings delicately poised – three wickets down and holding an overall lead of 62 – and with SA seamer David Grant having secured a vital double-strike.
 

 

Grant had WA opener Sam Whiteman (40) adjudged caught behind from a pull shot and two balls later pinned Green in front of his stumps when the Test all-rounder shouldered arms to a delivery angled into him.

 

 

 
Cartwright and Shaun Marsh then steadied with a 53-run fourth-wicket stand before the WA skipper clipped a knee-high full-toss from Pope to mid-wicket shortly before lunch.
 

 

Then, in the second over after the break, Cartwright (on 38) edged a sharp chance from Pope to Travis Head at slip who was unable to hold on to the hot chance, and from that moment WA took charge.
 

 

Cartwright thrashed 22 from Pope's next over, feasting on a selection of full-tosses and half-trackers to club four boundaries and a six as the visitors lead surpassed 150.

 

 
Pope fought back to have Josh Philippe (25) smartly stumped by Alex Carey from a perfectly pitched leg break, and Head removed Josh Inglis (13) who edged to slip.
 

 

But with barely 30 overs left in the day, and Cartwright in control as WA's advantage grew beyond 200, stumps were pulled with both teams claiming the pitch at Karen Rolton Oval had not deteriorated as markedly as they expected upon examining it at the coin toss.
 

 

"Having played a lot of cricket at Glenelg and seeing what that's done, it was prepared very similar to that," Head said this evening in explaining the Redbacks' call to play three seamers alongside three spin-bowling options.

 

"It was probably a lot flatter and a lot drier than it's been in the past, and we felt like it would deteriorate.
 

 

"We probably just missed the opportunity at 3-380 (on day three) not to get a really big lead of 150-200 and put WA under some real pressure today.
 

 

"I felt like we drove the game, scored at a nice rate and gave ourselves the best opportunity, so good signs hopefully moving forward."

 

 

Cartwright said it was SA's last-wicket partnership yesterday, when all-rounder Nathan McAndrew and Pope combined to add 74 runs that turned a first-innings deficit into a slight lead, coupled with the early loss of Whiteman and Green this morning that stopped WA pushing to set up a last-day run chase.
 

 

"It was not ideal losing those wickets, especially the calibre of players that we had out there," he said of the opening session today.
 

 

"If we got a slightly better start, we would have had better chance of creating a game this afternoon.
 

 

"But they bowled really well this morning, didn’t give us much to go off and got the ball moving to create a few headaches."
 

 

With uncertainty still surrounding the immediate Shield schedule, SA's players will take a few days off before returning to training, with WA flying back to Perth tomorrow where Premier Cricket begins this weekend.