South Australia fall short in One-Day Cup opener against NSW
South Australia have fallen short in its One-Day Cup season opener, losing against New South Wales by 131 runs.
With captain Nathan McSweeney on Australia A duties, Alex Carey stepped up to lead the side and elected to bowl first after winning the toss. The match also marked a special milestone for debutant Harry Manenti, who was presented his South Australian cap by older brother and teammate Ben Manenti.
South Australia struck early through Brendan Doggett, who removed Blake Nikitaras with a sharp catch at third slip by Jason Sangha. Despite the early breakthrough, NSW recovered through a strong partnership between Matthew Gilkes and Kurtis Patterson, before Doggett struck again to dismiss Patterson.
Wes Agar then delivered a fiery spell, removing Oliver Davis and Moises Henriques in quick succession. South Australia’s bowlers kept things tight, with Lloyd Pope economical on return from a UK stint, and Jordan Buckingham threatening across multiple spells. NSW finished their innings at 7/288, setting South Australia a target of 289 for victory.
In reply, South Australia started positively with a 62-run stand between Daniel Drew and Mackenzie Harvey, but momentum shifted quickly. Carey fell early, and a collapse followed as Tanveer Sangha and Chris Green combined with the ball.
From 1/84, South Australia slumped to 6/106 at the halfway mark.
Despite some late resistance from Brendan Doggett (28 off 34) and Jordan Buckingham (15* off 19), the chase never regained traction. South Australia were bowled out well short, with T Sangha (4/35) and Green (4/25) sharing eight wickets in a match-winning spin display.
Mackenzie Harvey top-scored for South Australia with 60 off 55, while Wes Agar led the bowling with 2/44 from his 10 overs. On debut, Harry Manenti returned figures of 0/37 from six overs and made 5 with the bat.
South Australia will look to bounce back quickly, with their next One-Day Cup fixture set for Wednesday, September 24 at Karen Rolton Oval, where they’ll host Western Australia.