Jewell's patience pays off with match-winning ton

As Caleb Jewell graphically demonstrated in today's unbeaten century that led Tasmania to victory in their Marsh Sheffield Shield match against South Australia, he's still trying to work out whether he's more comfortable in red or white-ball mode.

Jewell's 108no across almost five hours anchored the Tigers successful pursuit of 235, which they reached an hour after lunch on the final day.

And while the 25-year-old felt that chase had taken "forever" in the face of some disciplined bowling from SA's young pace duo Wes Agar and Jordan Buckingham today, it was his late-innings switch to limited-overs mode that became a talking point.

Having seen off a tricky 33-over stint under gathering cloud and against a new ball the previous evening, Jewell had eked his way to 85 from more than 200 balls faced as the victory target shrank to two dozen.

That was when the left-hander adopted the T20 slugging pose that has earned him kudos in the colours of Hobart Hurricanes, and swung baseball-style at anything within reach to hasten the game's end.

He reached his third Shield century, and his first outside his home patch at Blundstone Arena, with a bullet-like six over square leg from a tiring Agar in the course of pummelling 17 from the seamer's final over.

Asked if he knew whether he felt more at home deploying full-on attack or in his more traditionally watchful role as a first-class opener, Jewell said: "Yeah, I do … but I won't say which one that is."

"And to be honest, I probably haven't got the balance right in the last couple of years.

"It's something that I've been working on.

"Obviously I stabbed around there for a couple of hours today, and I was able to capitalise there at the end."

The reason he was able to swing with impunity in the final phase was his preparedness to do the hard work when batting was at its toughest.

He and opening partner Tim Ward had seen SA's top order capitulate against the relentless new-ball pressure applied by veteran Tasmania pair Jackson Bird and Peter Siddle in both their innings, and expected last night's two-hour session to make or break their run chase.

However, not only were the pair able to safely negotiate some wasteful SA bowling, that profligacy also enabled them to reduce the target by 104 without loss which made today's assignment so much simpler.

"Those 20-30 over periods, you can lose games in those little sessions," Jewell told cricket.com.au at game's end.

"So it was nice to be able to get through with as little damage as possible, and it was a bonus knocking runs off.

"I still felt like when the ball was quite hard, it was nipping around a bit.

"They bowled really well today, and it felt like it took us forever to get those runs."

In truth, it took 73.3 overs at a reasonable rate of more than three per over although the seemingly smooth path to their maiden win of the Shield summer hit an early hurdle, with first innings top scorer Ward dismissed in the day's opening over without adding to his overnight tally.

After Redbacks coach Jason Gillespie bemoaned his bowlers' inability to switch on from ball one during a costly final session on day three, Agar responded by angling into left-handed Ward from around the wicket to find the edge with the final ball of his opening over.

But any thoughts the early breakthrough might trigger the sort of batting collapse that saw SA lose 5-84 in yesterday's first session were quelled as Jewell and Jake Doran got to work.

Doran should have been removed for 12 when Agar again found the edge only to see Jake Lehmann turf a shin-high catch at first slip.

It was the introduction of Ben Manenti – the spin-bowling all-rounder who was SA's most accomplished performer throughout a game that was his first in red-ball cricket for his adopted state – that brought the breakthrough with Tasmania's target below 100.

Doran's attempted sweep as he tried to fetch the ball from outside off stump brought a top edge that was neatly caught by Jake Carder, who sprinted from his position at slip to complete a diving dismissal.

Ben McDermott then fell shortly before lunch – nicking off to Buckingham for the second time in the match – which meant skipper Jordan Silk was with Jewell when the target was run down at speed.

 

While Manenti's memorable debut, with a half-century in each innings and three wickets with spin on a seamer-friendly wicket, along with the efforts of Agar and Buckingham were positives for the Redbacks, they were outweighed by another couple of batting calamities and too many wayward spells.

Test keeper Alex Carey – who made starts in each innings with 25 and 17 – conceded it was SA's inability to counter the guile of Bird and Siddle at the start of days one and three that meant they were chasing the game from the outset.

"I guess if you look at the morning of day one, 4-60 is not a great start before we clawed our way to a score where we ended up being very close on first innings totals," Carey said

"But then we missed the opportunity on the morning of day three to drive the game, to bat big.

"You could see the middle sessions were where the game opened up and the runs flowed, but we were just too many wickets down by that stage.

"The positives were that we stayed in it when we were in positions to be out of it.

"The negatives were it's probably just a bit too regular."

If there was other good news to emerge from SA's efforts this week, it came from a couple of kilometres away at Park 25 where the Redbacks second XI performed strongly against NSW, with bowlers Brendan Doggett and Nick Winter (both six wickets) and emerging batter Thomas Kelly (76) performing strongly.

Doggett is almost certain to return for SA's next Shield game against the Blues at Wollongong starting October 31, and other changes will be considered although Carey acknowledged finding a balance between stability and accountability was not always simple.

"It was probably great for our comparatively inexperienced attack to watch Bird and Siddle first-hand, and see the way they go about their business," he said.

 

"They don't shy away from top of off stump too much.

"Execution definitely let us down here.

"We've got guys running around in second XI and some coming back from injury who bowled well, so we've got some options but how do you click?

"Do you keep a group together or do you mix and match?

"I guess we wait and see."

Before then, SA and Tasmania will square off again in a Marsh One Day Cup match at Adelaide Oval on Friday.