Blues batters in South Australia Shield battle

| March 14, 2023

NSW have lost two wickets during a challenging first session after being sent in to bat in the final round Sheffield Shield match against South Australia in Adelaide.

The Blues, who are seeking to avoid a first-ever winless season, reached 2-73 at lunch at Karen Rolton Oval.

Fast bowler Nathan McAndrew did the damage for the home side, securing wickets in successive overs and ending the session with 2-22.

Blake MacDonald top-edged a catch into the deep to fall for 21, while the returning Jason Sangha was caught in the slips for six as NSW slipped to 2-52.

Opener Ryan Hackney batted through the session to be unbeaten on 34, while new captain Moises Henriques is 10no.

Along with bowler Ryan Hadley, MacDonald is one of two debutants in a much-changed NSW line-up.

Dropped skipper Kurtis Patterson and injured opener Daniel Hughes are high-profile omissions alongside Sean Abbott (Australian ODI duties) and Trent Copeland (retired).

In contrast, South Australia were boosted by the return of leading wicket-taker Wes Agar after he was rested for the previous Shield match against Queensland.