Agar gives underdog Redbacks edge over WA

Feeling the familiar onset of body cramps after a couple of sessions in which South Australia's bowlers gave away little without much to show for their efforts, Wes Agar went into today's final session having foregone the warm-up drills expected of fast bowlers prior to resumption.

At that stage of day one, reigning Marsh Sheffield Shield champions Western Australia held sway at 3-168 having opted to bat first and Redbacks bowling coach – former Australia Test quick Ryan Harris – noted Agar's absence from the warm-up and advised his charge to 'make sure you start well'.

Taking the coach's counsel to heart, Agar grabbed two vital wickets in his first over after the break – Aaron Hardie for 26 and Josh Phillippe for a third-ball duck – to set SA on a path to ascendancy with the competition heavyweight bowled out shortly before stumps for 241.

With a tricky six overs to negotiate before day's end, SA openers Kelvin Smith (18 off 16 balls) and Henry Hunt (nine off 20) reduced the deficit by 27 runs without loss to complete a promising day for the home team.

Agar finished with first-class career best figures of 6-42, eclipsing the 5-53 he captured against Tasmania at Hobart in his debut summer of 2019-20, to change the course of the day after WA's powerful batting line-up had reached 1-102 shortly after lunch.

"We spoke about that in the rooms just then, we were really happy we didn't go searching," Agar said at day's end, when asked if SA were concerned to find themselves eyeing a big first innings total after losing the toss.

"We hit our lengths really well and albeit we didn’t take the wickets, the scoreboard wasn't going fast and we were able to contain.

"And when wickets came we were able to have them on the back foot.

"We always know at Adelaide Oval if you're consistent on length you're always going to get a little bit out of it.

"I guess with the older ball we got a bit more out of it than with that brand new ball at the start."

The back-to-back Shield champions lost 5-44 in 98 balls in the hour immediately after tea, due largely to a disciplined bowling effort from the Redbacks who went wicketless in the first hour but gave away few freebies across the entire innings as shown by WA's run rate of less than three per over.

Agar paid tribute to Harris's influence since taking up his new role with SA during the winter, noting the highly regarded coach's attention to detail in analysing opposition batters and reviewing where bowling plans needed to be tweaked between and during games.

Having received a new cap from Harris before play began to recognise his 25th Shield game for his adopted state, Agar revealed his frustration at having picked up just four wickets at almost 50 runs apiece in his two Shield appearances prior to this game.

"I haven’t got the results I wanted this year, coming into this game and I'd spoken to a few people and Ryno (Harris) reiterated I wasn't bowling that badly," said Agar, who was SA's leading Shield wicket-taker with 36 at 27.4 last season.

"(He said) just to keep persisting with what I was doing and I found a rhythm out there today, and just continued 'pounding the rock' as well call it, and thankfully it came off."

The 26-year-old had proved near impossible to get away in the opening session when he sent down nine over for seven runs including the scalp of WA skipper Sam Whiteman, but it was his post-tea burst that yielded 4-16 from 40 deliveries that carried SA into ascendancy.

Agar was aided by smart catching behind the wicket, notably from keeper Harry Nielsen who continued his impressive form with the gloves to claim five catches and might have finished with seven if another couple of tough chances had stuck.

WA's struggle was illustrated by the fact only two players in their vaunted batting line-up reached 50 – opener Cameron Bancroft (57) and number four Hilton Cartwright (56) – and Cartwright's contribution included a painful blow that left him needing extended medical treatment.

The Test-capped all-rounder was on 13 when he inside-edged an Agar delivery on to his left leg, and immediately collapsed in agony at the pitch's edge.

The 31-year-old lay prone on his back for almost five wickets, with the WA physiotherapist and SA team doctor examining the leg before he gingerly regained his feet and continued batting – without any obvious discomfort – for a further couple of hours.

"He's traditionally a very tough man, you don't see him go down too much so I was a little bit rattled when he went down for a while," Agar said of his briefly fallen foe.

"But I think he just inside-edged and it got him on the bone of the knee, and it's just one of those paisn you can't get away for a little bit.

"Thankfully he was okay and able to bat through."

After the Shield game played at the same venue last week was dominated by seam bowlers, where batters repeatedly claimed felt they rarely felt safely 'in', Whiteman took the bit between his teeth by opting to bat first upon calling correctly.

His rationale for not bowling in cool but fine conditions was the teams' previous meeting at Adelaide Oval last summer, when the home team piled on 7(dec)-438 having been sent in, setting up a 164-run win against the competition heavyweights.

But despite miserly SA bowling in the opening hour, it was the watchful experience of the WA skipper and his opening partner Bancroft that saw the visitors reach 33 without loss at the first drinks break.

Whiteman was the more fluent of the first-wicket duo, but was the first to depart half an hour prior to lunch when trapped lbw by Agar operating around the wicket.

WA were battling to break the shackles in the face of SA's nagging three-pronged pace attack and the searching off-spin of Ben Manenti, and the fact Bancroft's half century took 102 balls to complete and contained just four boundaries underscored the scope of that struggle.

It was Bancroft's third score of 50 in as many Shield innings this summer, further strengthening his push for a Test recall with David Warner having flagged his plans to vacant the opening berth in Australia's line-up at the end of the upcoming NRMA Insurance Series against Pakistan.

Sheffield Shield 2023-24 standings

Team	Matches played M	Wins W	Losses L	Drawn D	No results N/R	Deductions Ded.	Batting Bonus Bat	Bowling Bonus Bowl	Total points PTS
1 Western Australia Men WA	10	5	2	3	0	0	5.53	9.4	47.93
2 Tasmanian Tigers Men TAS	10	5	2	3	0	0	6.06	8.3	47.36
3 NSW Men NSW	10	4	3	3	0	0	6.31	9	42.31
4 Victoria Men VIC	10	4	4	2	0	0	4.74	8.2	38.94
5 South Australia Men SA	10	3	6	1	0	0	5.19	9.3	33.49
6 Queensland Bulls QLD	10	2	6	2	0	0	3.54	8.3	25.84

Legend

M: Matches played

W: Wins

L: Losses

D: Drawn

N/R: No results

Ded.: Deductions

Bat: Batting Bonus

Bowl: Bowling Bonus

PTS: Total points