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Pope Steers South Australia to Drought-Breaking Win

South Australia won their first Sheffield Shield match against Victoria in nine years with 16 minutes to spare, thanks to Lloyd Pope’s six wickets.

Pope grabbed 6 for 74 to bowl Victoria out for 207, chasing an improbable 346 at Adelaide Oval. Victoria seemed confident to tie with four wickets in hand and 30 minutes left before stumps, but Pope got four in 13 minutes to win.

After 18 games, South Australia won its first match over Victoria since 2015-16. Victoria’s Campbell Kellaway was bowled at bat-pad in the late, dramatic conclusion.

Kellaway was confused by the ruling, as replays showed the ball might have come flush off the pad and not hit his bat before reaching the defender. Pope trapped Cameron McClure lbw, trying to leave the ball to seal the win for South Australia.

Pope’s five-wicket haul was his third in the Sheffield Shield and his first in four years after becoming a cult hero in the 2017 Under-19 World Cup. Pope appeared as South Australia’s most dangerous bowler on a deteriorating day-four wicket.

Middle-period breakthrough: Henry Thornton captured Chandrasinghe at slip with a fast-rising ball. Pope was always the most likely game manager, even if Thornton fired Tom Rogers shortly after.

Ben Pope

He had player-of-the-match Ben Manenti catch Peter Handscomb at first slip for eight and stumped Sam Harper for five by drawing his rear foot out of his crease. Pope took the key wicket in the last hour after Mitchell Perry and Kellaway chewed up 80 balls in 25 overs.

As the No. 8 cut, the 24-year-old spun a ball back from beyond the left-hander’s off stump to bowl Perry for 9. Pope bowled Kellaway in his next over and caught Peter Siddle at slip to leave Victoria nine wickets down.

Pope secured South Australia’s second-place finish with a rare triumph over their old rivals after No. 11 McClure failed to shoot on a straight-on ball.

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