South Australia are putting up a strong fight as they look to reel in New South Wales' total of 261 in their Ryobi Cup clash at Adelaide Oval.
Full Scorecard
South Australia are putting up a strong fight as they look to reel in New South Wales' total of 261 in their Ryobi Cup clash at Adelaide Oval.
The Redbacks are 2-130 with captain Michael Klinger on 54 from 78 balls and Tom Cooper on eight from 20 at the crease.
Daniel Harris (0 from 1) and Callum Ferguson (53 from 51) have been the two dismissals so far, with Blues bowlers Mitchell Starc and Moises Henriques taking the wickets respectively.
The SA side couldn't have wished for a worse start to their run chase when in-form batsmen Harris was trapped in front of his stumps from a Starc delivery for a golden duck in the first over of play.
Lifted by the early dismissal, the New South Wales' new-ball attack of Starc and Trent Copeland appeared to be bowling with some confidence and were applying significant levels of pressure to Klinger, who looked unusually uncomfortable and shaky at the crease.
However once Ferguson joined his captain at the crease, the Redbacks took control.
Ferguson made quick runs and knocked around the young Blues bowlers, taking only 48 minutes and 42 balls to record his half-century.
The 26-year-old made 16 runs alone in the 17th over when he punished Starc for failing to keep his length with three boundaries.
Klinger was soon inspired by his partner and returned to his old self as he got in on the act of finding the Adelaide Oval boundary with regularity.
However, Ferguson was too trigger happy and was caught in the deep for 53 by a scrambling and diving Phil Jaques from an Henriques delivery.
Klinger was lucky to stay at the crease in the 20th over when he survived a double drop from Blues captain Ben Rohrer and former captain Simon Katich.
Klinger drove the ball through the air to Katich at short cover, but the former Australian Test-opener failed to clutch the ball, which then ricocheted further into the air towards Rohrer who was unlucky not to get the catch following an athletic dive forward.
The Redbacks need 147 runs from 144 balls to win.
