There were runs for some Ashes contenders on the second day of the Sheffield Shield's second round
Shield watch: Marnus goes large, Weatherald just misses ton
Marnus Labuschagne's remarkable start to the domestic season continued as the Ashes aspirant strengthened his Test recall case with his fourth ton in five innings for Queensland.
One of his rivals for a Test berth, Jake Weatherald, meanwhile kept his name in the conversation as he stroked his third half-century from four innings. The Tasmanian was out six short of a hundred and dearly would have loved the kind of statement innings Labuschagne put on in Adelaide.
The Bulls No.3, in the mix to open against England this summer, was dismissed for 159 off 197 balls just before stumps on day two as the visitors piled on 6-319 in reply to South Australia's 228 at Adelaide Oval.
Labuschagne's rapid scoring rate – he needed just 129 balls to reach triple-digits – will have pleased national selectors who wanted to see more a proactive approach from the right-hander.
It comes after he peeled off scores of 130, 2, 160 and 105 to begin the season (two of those centuries came in the One-Day Cup) amid a compelling case to earn his Test position back following his axing earlier this year.
Usman Khawaja put on 56 with Labuschagne on Thursday, managing 46 before nicking off to Wes Agar, while Jack Clayton endured a rough start to his knock, taking 28 balls to get off the mark.
Weatherald's 94 came on a tougher batting strip at Bellerive Oval, though there were signs it was flattening out after Tasmania and Western Australia managed 171 and 172 in their respective first innings.
The uncapped leftie remains an intriguing proposition to be Khawaja's opening partner for Australia given his freewheeling approach, which would complement a watchful top order also featuring Cameron Green and Steve Smith.
"Obviously, you obviously want to make as many hundreds as you can," Weatherald said after play when asked if he was frustrated to miss out on a three-figure score.
"But at the same time, I think I'm moving well when I'm doing all the right things, I think runs are just a byproduct of doing that stuff well.
"I have no idea what's going on there (national selection), and I probably won't find out until the first Test matches are selected."
Brad Hope (4-51) had earlier led the Tigers' bowling effort, before the home side pushed their lead beyond 200 on a rain-affected day two.
Fergus O'Neill was the standout performer on Thursday at the Junction Oval, snaring 5-26 from 16 overs to skittle NSW for 163 and give Victoria a 77-run first-innings lead.
The slippery seamer has international ambitions and showed an off-season spent picking the brains of Mohammad Abbas has only made him better.
"I got on a nice little run there, down the hill, down wind," O'Neill said after play.
"It was good to get a bit of reward. Credit to Harpsy (wicketkeeper Sam Harper) as well, coming up to the stumps. (He) got me a couple (of wickets). He's probably got me 10 or 12 in his career now (that) reminds me of.
"It was good for it to go my way."
Marcus Harris, batting at three for the hosts, made a promising start before cutting Liam Hatcher to point for 20 (off 80 balls). That comes after he was out for 4 in the first dig, following scores of 61 and 13 in the Shield opener against SA.
Opener Campbell Kellaway made 47 before chopping on for the second time in the match. Liam Hatcher, whose 3-17 now gives him eight wickets for the match, dismissed Kellaway and Oliver Peake in the space of three balls.
Sheffield Shield 2025-26 standings
| Team | M | W | L | D | N/R | Ded. | Bat | Bowl | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1
VIC
|
6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.87 | 5.3 | 41.17 |
|
2
QLD
|
6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8.18 | 4.2 | 26.38 |
|
3
SA
|
6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4.69 | 5.6 | 24.29 |
|
4
NSW
|
6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4.65 | 4.9 | 22.55 |
|
5
TAS
|
6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3.34 | 5 | 19.34 |
|
6
WA
|
6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.61 | 5.5 | 15.11 |
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
D: Drawn
N/R: No results
Ded.: Deductions
Bat: Batting Bonus
Bowl: Bowling Bonus
PTS: Total points