South Australian bowler Nathan McAndrew tapped into his prowess to deliver a 10-wicket haul, dealing another devastating blow to New South Wales, the erstwhile stalwarts of domestic cricket. Unable to claim victory in their 14th consecutive Sheffield Shield match, NSW was overpowered by SA, culminating in a colossal 186-run defeat.
Despite a largely underwhelming 2022/23 season for SA, only grabbing two wins out of 10, they stood unflinching and indefatigable against NSW. They clinched their first victory this season in Adelaide, securing the last four needed wickets in the early hours of the final day.
McAndrew’s superlative performance yielded figures of 10-61, with 5-19 of them coming from downing NSW – rolled over for a mere 136 runs in the second innings. Despite this seminal accomplishment, the match’s highest accolade was won by SA’s batsman Nathan McSweeney for his breathtaking century, punctuated by an astounding 28 runs in a single over against novice Blues’ bowler, Jack Nisbet.
A sense of poetic justice is embedded in this victory for Wollongong-born McAndrew, who despite playing Big Bash for Sydney Thunder didn’t get an opportunity to represent his home state in the shield before joining the Redbacks two seasons ago.
Adding to NSW’s woes was another bowling reject from their team, Harry Conway, who took six wickets and stirred the pot against his former mates. Post match, McAndrew offered a glimpse into the banter-laced rivalry on the field. He revealed, NSW batter Daniel Hughes and Conway had a go at each other while he was off-field.
Brushing the clash aside as playful rivalry, McAndrew lauded his squad for their relentless spirit shown in the game. He particularly applauded McSweeney’s ‘unbelievable’ batting performance, attributing the victory equally to the batters for setting the stage and the bowlers for bringing home the win.
NSW, who kicked off their Shield season with a draw against Queensland due to an unyielding batting resistance from the Bulls, still find themselves in a quagmire, failing to clinch a single win since February 2022. The Blues’ streak of 14 matches peppered with losses and draws, thus, continues.
