Pope produces last-day heroics to end SA's long drought

As part of a patched-up bowling attack and entering the game with a bowling average of almost 60, at face value Lloyd Pope loomed as an unlikely vehicle to land South Australia their first Sheffield Shield win over arch-foes Victoria in nine years.

But on dry day-four pitch and with SA having driven the game since being sent into bat on the first morning, Pope produced inspired spells of spin and control to claim 6-74 and spearhead his team's 138-run win.

Set 345 for victory and to keep intact an undefeated streak against SA stretching back to December 2015, Victoria suffered a dramatic mid-innings stumble before 22-year-old prodigy Campbell Kellaway carried them within half an hour of a draw.

With regular front-line bowlers Brendan Doggett, Nathan McAndrew and Jordan Buckingham on Australia A duty (along with skipper Nathan McSweeney), and Wes Agar and Spencer Johnson unavailable after injuries, SA had fielded a new-look, spin-heavy attack against their nemesis.

And when 24-year-old Pope had his fellow youngster Kellaway snapped up by the net of close catchers SA deployed in a frantic final 10 overs, the final wickets fell in a hurry as the leg spinner snared the last four scalps in the space of three overs bowling from the cathedral end.

It's the third five-wicket haul of Pope's fluctuating first-class career in which he burst on the scene with 7-87 against Queensland in 2018 after coming to notice at the under-19 World Cup, before struggling to hold down a berth in SA's strong bowling unit.

Prior to this season's opening Shield fixture against New South Wales at Cricket Central, Pope's only other red-ball appearance for SA in the past four years was against Victoria at Adelaide Oval in 2021-22, when he returned match figures of 1-109.

"I hope I've improved over four years," Pope said at day's end as SA completed their second consecutive win after defeating Queensland in Brisbane last month.

"There's been a few ups and downs in my career, and I feel like I'm bowling really well at the moment.

"Ben (Manenti, fellow spinner) is also bowling really well and making runs, so the team hasn't needed a leggie for a while.

"Hopefully that will change for my favour but it's just nice to see the team winning, as long as I can contribute whether playing two games or every game."

Pope reminded cricket fans of his prodigious talent when he collected a swathe of wickets for Adelaide Strikers at the back end of last summer's BBL campaign, but admits he has found the transition from white-ball to first-class cricket a challenge.

However, with sage input from Test keeper Alex Carey, who captained SA to the first Shield win over Victoria he's enjoyed in his career, Pope today showed the sort of surety and tactical acumen he'd found tough to produce in fleeting Shield appearances.

"This wicket was perfect for cricket in general, and then spun heaps right at the end, which was really nice, so the general chat was just keep the stumps in play, bowl good balls – pretty boring stuff," Pope said.

"And Kez (Carey) was saying that to me with one wicket left to go and I was getting a bit excited.

"He was just saying 'process, process, process'.

"He's a Test keeper whose played 30-odd Tests and knows what he's doing, probably a little bit more than I do."

While Pope was the final-day hero as Victoria crumbled for 207, Manenti was player of the match for his remarkable all-rounder contribution that included further evidence he's the best slips catcher in the country.

He finished his breakthrough match with figures of 6-100 from almost 60 overs in addition to scores of 20 and 62no and seven catches that ranged from smart to stunning.

The only other players to have posted a half century, claimed at least five wickets and five catches in more than 130 years of Shield competition are former Australia Test representatives Ron Archer (for Queensland in 1954-55) and Harry Trott (Victoria 1893-94).

Victoria had entered the final day with all 10 second innings wickets intact and eyeing unlikely (if not impossible) further 337 runs for an outright win.

Openers Ashley Chandrasinghe and Jonathan Merlo made cautious progress until the latter fell to a brilliant diving catch by Carey, which brought Kellaway to the wicket inside the day's first hour.

The pair made it safely to lunch, although Chandrasinghe faced a couple of anxious moments when he advanced down the pitch against Pope only for the ball to bounce and spin so emphatically that it beat Carey as well as the batter's inside edge.

The game's complexion changed dramatically shortly after Chandrasinghe, who had reached a hard-fought half century, was snared by Manenti at slip off Henry Thornton, triggering a collapse with Victoria losing 4-27 in the space of 45 balls.

Peter Handscomb completed a rare forgettable match against SA when Manenti plucked a one-hander off Pope. Tom Rogers' attempted drive off Thornton also finished with Manenti, and Sam Harper over-stretched against Pope and was stumped.

Entering the final session, Victoria were 5-161 and focused on surviving until stumps with the target distantly beyond reach, but that primary ambition became tougher when skipper Will Sutherland was bowled as Manenti slid one past his outside edge.

Kellaway and Mitch Perry negotiated the next hour, and with 60 minutes remaining in the game, the visitors looked likely to hold on.

Their chances were boosted when Conor McInerney missed a chance from Perry (on 7) at slip off Manenti, but after a brief flurry with the second new ball, it was Pope who emerged the matchwinner as he spun a web around Victoria's tail.

Perry succumbed when he aimed an ambitious cut shot at a delivery that stayed low, then Kellaway's 228-ball vigil ended when he squeezed a defensive push to silly mid-off that was deemed to have included an inside edge.

Victoria veteran Peter Siddle then edged into the unerring hands of Manenti and last man Cam McClure – facing a remarkable field including four slips with metres of the bat – shouldered arms to a Pope straight ball and was adjudged lbw.

Pope was engulfed by ecstatic teammates as SA celebrated with the sort of enthusiasm usually seen in the days of Australian rules State of Origin clashes.

"It's nice to beat anyone, let alone someone you haven't beaten for a while," Pope said.

"We believe in that our cricket is just going up and up, so I think the squad mentality is really good.

"Not just a first eleven, but hopefully a squad that can win a Shield and a one-day cup."