Vics left fuming as Redbacks refuse to manufacture target
Disgruntled Victoria captain Peter Handscomb lamented South Australia’s refusal to set up a final-day run chase in their Marsh Sheffield Shield clash, as the match he labeled “boring” and “pointless” descended into farce on Saturday. The reigning Shield champions elected not to use their frontline bowlers for the majority of the third day’s last session as Tom Cooper (188 not out) and Tom Andrews (75 not out) filled their boots on a lifeless Junction Oval surface that has seen just 11 wickets fall for a combined 1,143 runs across 287 overs. Cooper was caught in the middle of negotiations while he batted during a “weird” evening session as the two sides failed to come to an agreement on a fourth-day target for the Redbacks to chase. Where James Pattinson should have been proving his Test credentials with repeated spells in a competitive fixture, the fast bowler instead bowled two overs of off-spin as shadows extended across the ground. Handscomb and Marcus Harris, neither of whom have taken a first-class wicket in their 102- and 86-game careers respectively, bowled 18 overs between them and stationed up to six fielders on the boundary as their lead gradually…