Lehmann tons up as runs flow on Shield opening day

The installation of drop-in pitches at Karen Rolton Oval proved a challenge for South Australia's top-order batters until freshly appointed skipper Jake Lehmann rescued his team with a timely ton in the season-opening Marsh Sheffield Shield fixture against Tasmania.

The decision to replace a pair of in-situ pitches with replicas of the decks prepared for Adelaide Oval was designed to provide a better grass coverage on tracks at the start of the summer, and thereby offer more to bowlers who have historically laboured on the auxiliary ground at season's start.

But having chosen to bat first on the newly laid turf after winning this morning's toss, Lehmann saw SA's batting implode to 4-49 in the opening session before he forged enterprising stands with middle-order allies to post a total of 307.

By stumps, Tasmania had reduced that deficit by 94 for the loss of former SA opener Jake Weatherald (12) with Caleb Jewell 45no and Charlie Wakim unbeaten on 36.

While the pitch offered assistance for the seamers, the shorter boundaries and fast outfield saw more than 400 runs scored with 65 boundaries posted in addition to four sixes.

"We ummed and aahed a lot actually," Lehmann said at day's end when asked how closely he had considered bowling first.

"There was probably a little bit more moisture in it than we thought, but it's got the typical Adelaide Oval characteristics that we've seen for the last four or five years.

"The only difference here is the outfield is still rapid, so typically at Adelaide Oval it can be a bit sandier-based and the ball doesn't run away so that's something we have to cater for.

"We saw four or five wickets all caught behind the wicket or bowled, so I think it's great for the game and for Shield cricket that we're giving the quicks something to work with.

"But if you do bat well there are runs out there."

Lehmann, appointed SA's skipper for the season with regular captain Travis Head expected to miss the entire summer through international commitments, started where he left off last year having completed an unbeaten 101 in the Redbacks final Shield fixture of 2022-23 against New South Wales.

Head, who continues his recovery from a fractured hand before joining Australia's World Cup campaign in India, was an anxious onlooker at Rolton Oval when his captaincy successor went to the wicket with SA on the skids at 3-46.

Lehmann's 10th first-class century, arriving off 132 deliveries with 15 boundaries, and he was the final batter dismissed when he holed out to the deep backward square leg boundary having lifted his team past the 300 mark that seemed distantly unlikely midway through the day.

The 31-year-old had spent the preceding winter playing for Little Lever in England's north-west league competition, a club that has previously hosted former West Indies legend Sir Garfield Sobers and ex-Australia Test opener and coach Geoff Marsh.

Lehmann had adopted the atypical role of second fiddle during a vital 104-run partnership (off 108 balls) for the seventh wicket with Ben Manenti at a time when the Redbacks were in danger of being knocked over for around 150.

Although the Redbacks were on the precipice at 6-121 shortly after lunch, Manenti timed the ball exquisitely from the moment he joined his skipper in the centre and found the boundary four times from the first seven deliveries he faced.

The reigning Neil Dansie Medallist as SA's pre-eminent player of 2022-23, Manenti raced to 50 from 45 balls faced shortly after Lehmann acknowledged his half-century.

Having belted a six and a boundary off consecutive deliveries from former Western Australia seamer Brad Hope to hurtle past 70, the 26-year-old who represented Italy in the T20 World Cup qualifiers earlier this year seemed set for a maiden first-class century.

But in attempting to lift Hope over mid-off for four more, Manenti failed to clear Jarrod Freeman and could scarcely believe such an authoritative knock ended so meekly.

The 11 previous Shield fixtures at Rolton Oval had yielded an average first innings total of 360, at an average of almost 43 for the fall of each wicket.

In the opening half hour today, it appeared the newly laid deck had adopted the characteristics of its resident neighbours as SA openers Henry Hunt and Kelvin Smith rattled along at a rate of five an over with a brace of boundaries.

Their cause was aided by a new-look Tasmania attack headed by Gabe Bell, Lawrence Neil-Smith and debutant seamer Mitch Owen in the absence of injured duo Nathan Ellis (groin) and Riley Meredith (side) following the earlier loss of veterans Peter Siddle and Jackson Bird who have returned to their home states.

But once the visiting quicks adapted to the different conditions on what was previously a bowlers' graveyard, and duly pitched fuller knowing the risks of getting driven paled alongside the prospect of early wickets, the game's complexion changed markedly.

Smith was spectacularly plucked by Owen at third slip to remain true to his 10-year first-class average of just over 20, and Daniel Drew was unable to reprise his batting heroics of last summer in also edging to slip for six.

Unlike previous seasons at Rolton Oval, behind-the-wicket catchers found themselves in the game although the leg-side grab completed by keeper Matthew Wade to remove Hunt had more to do with anticipation and athleticism than the lively drop-in surface

When vice-captain Nathan McSweeney dragged on in belatedly trying to withdraw his bat to grant Owen a second wicket in as many overs, SA had surrendered 4-19 in barely 50 deliveries as another familiar batting collapse gathered speed.

The freefall was halted by a counter-punch of equal ferocity, as Lehmann and the Redbacks' new recruit Jake Fraser-McGurk bludgeoned a 59-run stand for the fifth wicket off just 42 balls.

Having struggled to carry his undoubted white-ball potential into the first-class format with Victoria, Fraser-McGurk seemingly decided he would simply deploy white-ball mode against the newish red ball and crunched five boundaries and a pair of imperious sixes in his 37-ball stay.

However, just as SA restored some respectability to their total the 21-year-old aimed one scoring stroke too many against the off-spin of Jarrod Freeman and the resultant leading edge looped tamely to mid-on.

Another edge to the cordon soon after lunch reduced the home team to 6-121 and eyeing the lowest first-innings score at the batting friendly venue (which remains SA's 195 against Tasmania three summers ago) before Lehmann and Manenti joined forces.

While Tasmania went into the season opener without a recast seam attack and were also missing regular opener Tim Ward and keeper-batter Jake Doran, SA also entered the game amid uncertainty over their bowling stocks.

In addition to being without all-rounder Nathan McAndrew who suffered calf soreness in the Redbacks opening Marsh One Day Cup outing, they feared they had also lost new-ball bowler Brendan Doggett who was reportedly ill this morning to be replaced by fellow quick Harry Conway.

But upon assembling at Rolton Oval this morning, the SA brainstrust learned Doggett was fine to play and it was Conway who was deemed too ill to take his place.