Shield watch: Who's putting pressure on?

The second round of the Sheffield Shield wrapped up on Monday morning with NSW’s narrow victory over Western Australia at the SCG.

It followed a pair of comprehensive innings victories completed by Victoria and South Australia the previous day, leaving the Redbacks, the Bushrangers and the Blues undefeated and the others winless.

And with Australia succumbing to a 177-run defeat at the WACA, we’ve taken a look at who’s putting pressure on Australia’s Test incumbents.

Tasmania 98 (Sayers 6-32) and 289 (Bailey 142 not out, Sayers 5-44) lost to South Australia 481 (Weatherald 135, Lehmann 129, Stevenson 4-110) by an innings and 94 runs.

South Australia seamer Chadd Sayers was in devastating touch at the Adelaide Oval, striking 11 times in the Redbacks' three-day win over Tasmania.

The bottom-of-the-table Tigers had few answers for the unassuming Sayers, whose ability to find subtle movement, if not express pace, has netted him 49 wickets in his last 10 Shield games.

After Sayers' six first-innings scalps left the visitors unable to reach triple-figures, Jake Weatherald had no such issues on his 22nd birthday, celebrating the anniversary with his maiden first-class century.

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Redbacks’ teammate Jake Lehmann and Tasmania skipper George Bailey both notched unbeaten tons the following day, with the latter’s 142 a timely reminder of his skills with the blade.

Jackson Bird impressed despite his side’s struggles, his 26-over return of 2-68 by far the most economical effort for the visitors.

He even chipped in with a career-best 39 in the second innings, just days after national selector Rod Marsh told him his batting ability weighed into his non-selection in Australia’s first Test squad. 

Joe Mennie, the man who pipped him for the final spot in the Test XII, had a solid outing with the ball, claiming three wickets for the match.

Despite making a duck, Redbacks batsman Callum Ferguson has secured a spot in Australia’s extended 13-man squad for the second Test in Hobart, starting on Saturday.

Ferguson, uncapped at Test level but with 30 one-day internationals to his name, posted a century in the opening round of the Shield season and averaged 61 in this year’s Matador Cup.

The 31-year-old has averaged over 50 in the past three Shield campaigns.

Western Australia 216 (Turner 81, Cartwright 59, O’Keefe 5-65, Somerville 4-61) and 177 (Klinger 50, Somerville 5-65, O’Keefe 3-41) lost to New South Wales 298 (Maddinson 116, Patterson 60, Agar 6-110, Behrendorff 4-83) and 7-96 (Agar 4-31) by three wickets.

NSW’s match against Western Australia was played on a throwback SCG track, with 28 of the 37 wickets to fall claimed by slow-bowlers.

Stephen O’Keefe picked up eight wickets for the match in his return from a finger injury and his spinning partner in crime Will Somerville snared nine.

Their efforts left the Blues needing just 96 to chase in their fourth innings but WA tweaker Ashton Agar sent a scare through the hosts’ dressing rooms early on day four.

His 10th wicket for the match reduced the Blues to 7-94 but paceman Trent Copeland kept his cool to hit the winning runs from the first ball he faced.

Blues batsman Nic Maddinson posted the only century of the match, young left-hander Kurtis Patterson followed up his first-round ton with a composed 60 while NSW skipper Moises Henriques managed 41 and eight.

Warriors opener Cameron Bancroft scored 22 and six while tall left-armer Jason Behrendorff took five wickets for the game for WA, an encouraging sign on a dry pitch that offered the seamers little.

Queensland 137 (Heazlett 51, Holland 4-32) and 199 (Labuschagne 70, Holland 4-46) lost to Victoria 417 (White 104 not out, Maxwell 81, Harris 75, Handscomb 50) by an innings an 81 runs.

Test opener Joe Burns earned a recall to the Australia squad for the second Test in Hobart despite returning scores of four and seven as a host of Victorians starred in their innings-and-81-run trouncing of Queensland at the MCG.

Burns was dumped for the third Test against Sri Lanka after a lean run of form following three centuries last summer.

Australia one-day international quick Scott Boland removed Burns with a pearler in the Bulls’ first innings before completing the double when he trapped him lbw in the second dig.

But Jon Holland was the standout bowler in the match, the recent Test debutant claiming eight wickets for the match to put his name back on the radar of the national selectors. Young Bushranger bats Marcus Harris, who’s passed 50 in all three of his Sheffield Shield knocks for his new state, and Peter Handscomb both notched half-centuries to continue their impressive starts to the season.

A couple of familiar faces also excelled for the Vics – Glenn Maxwell posted an assured 81 in his return to the Shield side while Cameron White followed up his stellar Matador Cup with an unbeaten ton from No.7.