Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
South Australia are five runs away from crucial batting bonus points against Victoria on a rain-affected day two of the Sheffield Shield final.
Sent in to bat at Melbourne’s Junction Oval, SA reached 9-195 when wet weather stopped play for a second time on Friday afternoon.
It came after after persistent rain meant there was no play after lunch on day one.
Shield player of the year Liam Scott (34 not out) and tailender Jordan Buckingham (no score) are unbeaten as SA chase a score of at least 200.
If the visitors are bowled out for less than that, they will need to win the match outright to lift the Shield for a second straight season.
They could still obtain one bonus point for bowling out Victoria, who look certain to take one for dismissing SA within the first 100 overs.
If the final is drawn but first innings bonus points are also tied, then the title is awarded to the top-ranked side – Victoria.
Sam Elliott (1-36) claimed the big wicket of Alex Carey (26) as Will Sutherland (3-52), Fergus O’Neill (3-29) and Scott Boland (2-63) all had an influence.
Elliott (1-23), picked ahead of Mitch Perry for the final, went some way towards justifying his selection when he snared the prized wicket of Test star Carey.
A wider ball stayed low and Carey dragged an attempted drive on the up back onto his stumps.
Nathan McSweeney (52) scored a half-century while Ben Manenti (28), who provided a highlight with a powerful six off Sutherland, threw his wicket away just before lunch.
Manenti lost his battle with the Victorian skipper when he holed out to Todd Murphy, who eventually held onto a juggled catch.
Play started 30 minutes early on Friday and will do so for the remainder of the match after rain took away two full sessions on day one.
Victoria, runaway leaders who earnt hosting rights for the final, won the toss and sent South Australia in to bat.
