Promising Tasmania opener Jordan Silk became the second young batting talent in as many days to overshadow the Commonwealth Bank Ashes Test hopefuls in the Bupa Sheffield Shield match against South Australia at Adelaide Oval on Sunday.
Silk solid as Tigers eye draw
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The 21-year-old was 70 not out at stumps to power the Tigers to 1-141 and a narrow 35-run lead with one day remaining.
Silk combined with Ashes aspirant Ed Cowan (66 not out) for a 139-run partnership that swung the momentum in the visitors' favour and gives them hope of walking away with a draw.
There's unlikely to be enough time for the Tigers to set a decent victory target and leave enough overs to bowl SA out on day four.
The Redbacks took first-innings points after being bowled out for 397 prior to tea today.
Following in the footsteps of teenager Travis Head, who smacked 98 in the Redbacks' first innings on Saturday, Silk registered his second half-century in three Shield matches this season.
With the likes of SA pair Phil Hughes and Michael Klinger, as well as teammates Cowan, Alex Doolan and James Faulkner fighting for Ashes selectors' attention, Silk stood tall.
A century on Monday would be Silk's fourth in just nine Shield appearances.
"It'd be nice (to score a hundred), I'm happy with the way I'm going but there's still a long way to go," Silk said.
"I feel really good about my game at the moment, I've been tight in defence and feel good enough to go on with a big innings and play a few shots."
Power hitting was on the agenda for SA early in the day and they piled on 206 runs in barely two sessions after skipper Johan Botha (65) and wicketkeeper Tim Ludeman (68) belted half-centuries.
Fast bowler Kane Richardson was also in a fiery mood thumping 49 runs from just 29 balls including six boundaries and two monstrous sixes.
Adelaide Oval's revolutionary drop-in wicket which has come under fire for being too flat and slow since being rolled out at the ground in late September, looked to be offering a little more to the spin bowlers.
Tasmania left-arm spin duo Xavier Doherty (5-96) and Clive Rose (2-76) felt the brunt of Richardson's hitting but picked up vital wickets along the way.
"The Adelaide Oval wicket is definitely starting to play up a bit and I think it will do a little bit more for a leg spinner going around the wicket throwing it into the rough," Silk said. "There is a little bit of turn there, but in terms of swing there hasn't been a hell of a lot."