South Australia 200 and 8 for 384 (Head 151, Hunt 80, Scott 61, Boland 6-61) drew with Victoria 3 for 564 dec (Pucovski 255*, Harris 239)
South Australia batted out the final day – and 160 overs in total – to secure their second backs-to-the-wall draw in consecutive matches. Travis Head made 151 but the hero was 19-year-old Liam Scott, in just his fourth first-class match, as he made 61 from 162 deliveries to see the Redbacks through most of the last session.
Two vital moments came early in the final hour when Scott was brilliantly caught by Seb Gotch, when on 54, but Zak Evans had overstepped and next ball he struck a boundary to wipe out the 364-run deficit and knock off a few extra vital overs from South Australia’s task.
He fell with the job not quite complete – a sixth wicket for the outstanding Scott Boland who hurled his body through 33 overs – unable to keep out a superb yorker, but Daniel Worrall and Wes Agar stood firm for eight overs.
Scott, who mixed excellent defence with calculated attack in an innings that included four sixes, had come to the crease midway through the day when it appeared Victoria had made the game-changing incisions either side of lunch. Head had just gone past 150 for the second match running when he turned Jon Holland off the face of the bat to short leg, leaving South Australia 5 for 264 and the lower order exposed.
Head and Henry Hunt had extended their third-wicket stand to 226 in 86 overs when Victoria finally broke through with the second new ball, Boland finding Hunt’s outside edge and then doing the same against Callum Ferguson who bagged a pair.
Boland, in a herculean effort during the fourth innings, struck again in the first over after tea when he produced a beauty from round the wicket to bowl Harry Nielsen to break a stand of 66 in 23 overs with Scott and reenergise Victoria.
Their victory push gathered steam when Will Sutherland claimed a much-deserved wicket as Chadd Sayers played onto his stumps with South Australia still 26 behind, but as they moved into the lead the clock turned against Victoria and Boland’s sixth wicket came too late.