South Australia survived an early scare to defeat NSW by six wickets before lunch on day four of their top-of-the-table Bupa Sheffield Shield clash with NSW.
Redbacks go top in Shield
Full scorecard here
Defending a total of just 96, New South Wales couldn’t prevent South Australia reaching 4-100 with relative ease – but not before NSW allrounder Sean Abbott had given them a scare.
Abbott took three quick wickets this morning before Callum Ferguson steered the visitors home – and to outright first place on the ladder.
After three wickets fell in the first five overs to leave the Redbacks reeling at 3-6, Ferguson (45no) put on 25 with Tom Cooper (12) to steady the ship and then an unbeaten 69-run partnership with captain Johan Botha (27no) to win the match.
The match finished in unusual circumstances when, with the scores level, a Ben Rohrer delivery beat the edge of Botha's bat, then the gloves of wicketkeeper Peter Nevill, before crashing into a helmet behind the stumps and resulting in five penalty runs.
Ferguson's cool head and exquisite off-drives delivered him eight boundaries to go with a first innings 80 as the Redbacks overcome a case of the wobbles.
Abbott snared three wickets in an eight-over spell and finished with figures of 3-42. The 21-year-old allrounder removed openers Michael Klinger (2) and first-innings centurion Phil Hughes (2) while Trent Copeland (1-13) had Travis Head caught in the slips (0).
Cooper became Abbott's third victim when he was caught behind off a top edge, but it wasn’t enough for the Blues, who surrendered their position at the top of the ladder.