Lehmann, Ferguson build up South Australia's advantage

South Australia 322 and 5 for 298 (Ferguson 140*, Lehmann 93) lead Victoria 345 by 275 runs
Scorecard

Jake Lehmann put himself squarely in the running for an Ashes berth with a second counter-attacking innings of the match against Victoria, helping South Australia’s captain Callum Ferguson give the Redbacks a 275-run lead with one day remaining at the MCG.

After SA again lost early wickets in a mirror of day one, Lehmann combined with Ferguson to add 212 for the fourth wicket, their stand only ended when Lehmann, on 93, top-edged an attempted sweep shot at the wrist spin of Fawad Ahmed. The innings, soaking up 143 balls, was a somewhat less frenetic affair than his first-innings century but equally important to the match situation.

Ferguson, meanwhile, provided a reminder to the chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns that he remains a player of substance, guiding his team into a position from which it will be possible to dictate terms to the Bushrangers on the final day. His innings featured 14 boundaries but also plenty of alert running between the wickets as the Victoria captain Pete Handscomb tried in-out fields for much of the day in an effort to test the batsmen’s patience.

Victoria’s last pair of Fawad and Chris Tremain had earlier frustrated the Redbacks in surviving for 10 overs, after the seamer Chadd Sayers had started the day on a hat-trick. Tremain, Scott Boland and Peter Siddle then bowled some challenging overs with the new ball, restricting the usually free-spirited Jake Weatherald to 21 from 72 deliveries.

Source: ESPN Crickinfo

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