Two Test aspirants had a great day at Adelaide Oval as Western Australia piled on the runs
Bancroft, Hardie carry WA into strong position against SA
Long-time Perth clubmates and Test aspirants Cameron Bancroft and Aaron Hardie combined their considerable talents to put reigning Marsh Sheffield Shield champions Western Australia in charge heading into the final day against South Australia.
The pair's century stand for the fourth wicket carried WA to 8-377 and an overall lead of 354 at stumps on day three, with an expectation in the Redbacks camp the titleholders will continue their innings tomorrow despite already holding a seemingly insurmountable advantage.
The highest successful Shield run chase at Adelaide Oval since drop-in pitches were laid in 2013 remains SA's 9-317 (off 86.5 overs) to defeat WA eight summers ago, with the average fourth-innings score across the past decade being 256.
"I'm not sure what WA are going to do in the morning, I would probably expect them to bat on," SA assistant coach Ryan Harris said after his undermanned attack had put in a gallant bowling effort.
"They didn't necessarily set the world on fire tonight chasing quick runs, but that's up to them.
"We get these two wickets quickly if they do bat on, and we just bat and take it deep into the last hour you just never know where we'll be."
Bancroft shed little light on WA's plans at day's end, but provided further evidence he's a frontrunner for a Test recall given incumbent opener David Warner's plans to call time during the current summer with a patient century.
In his four Shield innings so far this summer, Bancroft has scored 370 at an average of 92.5 with two centuries and a lowest of 57 in the first innings of the current match.
His principal rivals for soon-to-be-vacant Test opening berth – Victoria's Marcus Harris and Queensland's Matt Renshaw – posted scores of 0 and 11, and seven and 57 respectively in their third-round outings this week.
"It's probably just good fluency, picking up length really well and making good decisions off the front and back foot," the 30-year-old said when asked what batting cues told him he was in good form.
"I've just been trying to set a really good platform with Whitey (opening partner Sam Whiteman) and the top of the order.
"We've got a lot to play for this year, we want to continue that winning success."
Hardie seemed destined for this fourth first-class century, and his first at Shield level since a career-high 174 not out against Victoria in 2021-22, but was cut down within a single of the milestone.
The 24-year-old had plundered 13 boundaries and a six in reaching 97, but was restricted to a couple of singles from the next seven balls before he tried to turn Harry Conway to on-side and was adjudged lbw with the ball deemed to be clipping leg stump though Hardie suggested he had hit it.
'We go a long way back playing club cricket in Perth together, and to watch his rise has been really exciting," Bancroft said of his hugely promising 24-year-old teammate.
"His batting and his bowling, his power and strength was quite evident in the Big Bash last year, but his ability to be able to play long-form is a real strength too.
"He would loved to have got a hundred today."
SA's cause was not helped by the restricted role forced upon Wes Agar who had suffered a back spasm while batting late yesterday, and was unable to take the field when SA began their bowling innings shortly before stumps on day two.
He didn't take the ball until almost an hour into today's play, and was clearly inconvenienced with his pace so reduced that SA keeper Harry Nielsen immediately stood up to the stumps where he remained throughout Agar's subsequent spells.
"He struggled, they don't exactly know what it is," Harris said of SA's hobbled spearhead.
"He's a pretty important cog in our bowling attack, and for him to get out there was a bit of a lesson for him.
"He wasn't great this morning and he had a little bit of help along the way with some (painkillers) but I think he did a great job for us."
The 26-year-old, who captured a first-class career-best 6-42 on day one of this match, battled through and while far below his potent best was rewarded with 1-60 from 18 overs including the wicket of Test-capped all-rounder Hilton Cartwright who was bowled by a fast off-break.
That breakthrough, against the run of play, reduced WA to 3-152 and holding a lead of just 129 midway through day three, raising the Redbacks' faint hopes of restricting their fourth-innings assignment to a manageable level.
However, the 106 run stand off 191 balls between Bancroft and Hardie put paid to that, with the latter showing there are no demons in the Adelaide Oval deck despite the dominance of bowlers across the first two days.
It was an act of good fortune that delivered SA's first wicket of the day, shortly before lunch when Whiteman was adjudged run out after he and Bancroft had put together a 104-run opening stand.
Whiteman was slow out of the blocks when his partner pushed a tight single to extra cover, but could consider himself unlucky to be deemed short of his ground when he launched a despairing dive to try and beat Jake Carder's direct hit.
With a scoring rate below three runs per over, Teague Wyllie looked to provide some fresh momentum to WA's innings and struck three boundaries in his 34-ball stay before charging at Ben Manenti in a bid to belt a fourth and was smartly stumped for 20.
When Agar pierced Cartwright's defence 20 minutes later the Redbacks had dragged themselves back into the game but the ensuing stand between Bancroft and Hardie, then the last session consolidation to follow, meant the resurgence was short-lived.