Tasmania openers seize control of seesawing affair

Having seized control through Peter Siddle only to lose it as South Australia mounted an unlikely rearguard batting effort, Tasmania will enter the final day of their Marsh Sheffield Shield encounter with the game seemingly safe in their keeping.

Set a final innings victory target of 235 after they had appeared set to wrap up victory inside three days, Tasmania took advantage of a pitch that has become increasingly placid through openers Tim Ward (60no) and Caleb Jewell (43no) to be 0-103 at stumps.

Barring the sort of batting implosion suffered by the Redbacks this morning, the Tigers should complete a victory that would represent a stunning turnaround after they were humbled by an innings inside three days by Queensland in their season opener.

The ease with which their openers took toll of some wasteful SA new-ball bowling – spearhead Harry Conway's four overs cost him 28 runs – enabled Tasmania to capitalise on the efforts of Siddle (4-45) and fellow seamer Beau Webster (4-39).

Image Id: 1918CB5659884A1DAB42735769489C88 Image Caption: Siddle finished with 8-96 across two innings // Getty

Siddle admits he wasn't at his best in the Tigers' season-opener at Allan Border Field where he took 1-67 as Queensland piled on 458, having only recently returned to bowling after sustaining a back injury near the end of his winter sojourn with Somerset.

'I was always going to come in underdone after resting due to the little back complaint I got over in England," he said, having claimed 8-96 in this fixture.

"I hadn't bowled much before the (Marsh Cup) one-day games and the four-day game to start the season here, so I was always going to start a little bit slow but it was nice to be able to turn it around and feel a lot better this game.

"Back issues are always a little bit of a worry, you just don't know what's going to happen.

"But the scans came back really good which was quite surprising and it was nice after that round one debacle to get some results here, to get some wickets and contribute and hopefully the boys can get on the winning train and we can roll from there."

SA looked to have relinquished all hope of pushing the game into a fourth day when they surrendered five wickets in today's opening session, adding to the two they lost late last night to leave their second innings in tatters at 7-105 and holding a lead of just 87.

But when the sun appeared after lunch, batting was revealed to be suddenly straightforward and the Redbacks last three wickets piled on almost 150 at more than four an over thanks largely to Ben Manenti's unbeaten 85 batting at number nine.

The hard-hitting all-rounder bludgeoned six boundaries and three sixes in his 96-ball knock as he featured in last-gasp partnerships of 77 (off 108 balls) with Nathan McAndrew and 57 (off 81) with Wes Agar to seemingly give the Redbacks a target to bowl at.

Manenti is only the sixth player – and the only non-specialist batter – to reach 50 in both innings of his Shield debut for SA, joining an impressive list that includes such revered names as ex-skipper Les Favell, former Test captain Greg Chappell and the late Phillip Hughes.

However, a profligate initial salvo with the new ball saw Jewell and Ward race to 50 inside 11 overs, and then post a 100-run stand shortly before stumps by which time the match had once again swung safely into the Tigers' grasp.

"We book-ended the day," SA coach Jason Gillespie said this evening.

"We had a really good middle session where we batted very well, but a poor batting display in the first session then a really poor bowling effort in the last.

"Our bowling coach Luke Butterworth has been hammering that we need to be on from ball one, let's not give away gift runs.

"We bowl well in patches but then we gift easy runs, and it's just unacceptable."

It wasn't only the SA bowlers who weren't "on" from the outset today.

Resuming at 2-21 (which included the wicket of nightwatchman Conway) and with what they would consider to be their full-strength batting line-up, SA were humbled by ageless seamer and Adelaide Strikers favourite Siddle.

Having claimed both wickets to fall late on day two, Siddle made an immediate impact today when his first delivery to Redbacks number three Jake Carder lured the left-hander tentatively forward with the subsequent edge neatly plucked by Webster diving forward at second slip.

Since impressing with 118 in his maiden innings for the Redbacks after moving from WA last summer, Carder has increasingly struggled to convert his starts and since the start of this year has averaged 20.5 across 10 innings with eight of those yielding scores between 10 and 30.

Siddle then struck an even more significant blow in his next over when he had reigning Australia Test Player of the Year and SA skipper Travis Head caught for a duck, albeit in slightly fortuitous circumstances after he edged a short ball on to his thigh pad from where it looped to short leg.

At that stage, Siddle boasted the remarkable figures of 4-7 from five overs and as he approaches his 38th birthday next month he appears set to join an exclusive club of Australian quicks who have successfully extended their careers well beyond their Test days.

Only a dozen specialist seamers have played Shield cricket after turning 38, among them legendary duo Ray Lindwall and Dennis Lillee although the only to have achieved that feat of longevity in recent decades was former Tasmania warrior Mark Ridgway who continued until two months shy of his 40th.

But Ridgway could claim to be comparatively fresh in his senior stage, having debuted in first-class cricket at the age of 33 while Siddle has been plying his unforgiving trade for 17 Australian summers as well as numerous seasons in England.

"I don’t want to be holding anyone up, but if I can still put performances on the board and take wickets and produce for the team, it then becomes a challenge for the younger guys to knock me off my spot," he told cricket.com.au at day's end.

"I'd be happy to finish up because one of the younger guys had taken my spot, whether it's this year or next year or whenever it might be.

"Then it feels like I've been able to push them to get the best out of themselves."

The veteran was initially brought into the attack to stem the flow of runs after left-armer Sam Rainbird's first two overs of the day cost 15, and not only did he quell the scoring, he made the crucial incisions.

It was the first of several inspired bowling changes wrought by Tasmania skipper Jordan Silk in a golden opening session for his team.

When Siddle was spelled, Webster took the ball and removed Alex Carey with his first delivery when the Test keeper tickled a short one down the leg side to his Australia predecessor Tim Paine.

Then, with SA reeling at 6-105 on the cusp of lunch, Silk summoned off-spinner Jarrod Freeman for his first over of the innings and with his opening delivery he dismissed Jake Weatherald, who had stood as the sole source of defiance for the home team.

Weatherald's atypically watchful 52 from 115 balls faced shone like a beacon in an overcast morning session that was tailor-made for seamers, but the fact he fell to the sole ball of spin pretty much summed up SA's plight.

"Manenti, McAndrew, Agar and Weatherald showed there's no demons in the surface, you can have an impact if you apply yourself," Gillespie said.

"We've still got 130 lead, we've got our backs up against us but we've got to come out, bowl well and field our butts off from ball one tomorrow."