The two bottom-placed teams meet in this week's Bupa Sheffield Shield action in beachside Adelaide suburb
Redbacks and Tigers battle to avoid spoon
Just like South Australian cricket, batsman Kelvin Smith has plenty to prove in the remainder of the Bupa Sheffield Shield season.
The 20-year-old Smith will open the batting against Tasmanian Tigers in a Shield game starting Tuesday in Adelaide which looms as a battle to avoid the wooden spoon.
The bottom-placed West End Redbacks (17.25 points) and second-last Tasmania (23.6 points) lag off the pace - with three games remaining, they're well behind leaders NSW (35.59 points).
But Smith says he and his fellow Redbacks still have much to gain from another season of tumult in which captain Johan Botha has been deposed and coach Darren Berry has taken indefinite leave for personal reasons.
The fixture against Tasmania will be Smith's sixth first-class outing and he wants to cement a spot as SA, without a Shield title since 1995/96, undergo yet another rebuild.
"We're a really young side obviously with what has happened in the last few weeks," Smith said on Monday.
"There's a lot to play for."
The Redbacks summoned some bowling firepower for the game at beachside Glenelg with pacemen Kane Richardson and Joe Mennie returning.
Richardson missed last week's draw against WA after being suspended for one game for using abusive language in a district match while Mennie has recovered from illness.
The duo replace Gary Putland (back) and Trent Lawford (finger) for a clash against a Tigers side demanding more from their batsmen - Tasmania were skittled for 149 and 121 in an outright loss to Queensland last week.
The Tigers made just one change - in their bowling ranks - with Luke Butterworth replaced by Evan Gulbis.
South Australia: Travis Head (capt), Nick Benton, Mark Cosgrove, Tom Cooper, Callum Ferguson, Tim Ludeman, Joe Mennie, Kane Richardson, Alex Ross, Kelvin Smith, Daniel Worrall, Adam Zampa (12th man to be named)
Tasmania: Alex Doolan (capt), Jordan Silk, Jackson Bird, Ed Cowan, Ben Dunk, Andrew Fekete, Evan Gulbis, Ben Hilfenhaus, Dominic Michael, Tim Paine, Sam Rainbird, Beau Webster (12th man to be named)