MacGill and Nicholson star in NSW win

NSW 430 beat South Australia 29 and 268 (Plant 125, Ferguson 103, MacGill 5-73, Nicholson 4-81) by an innings and 133 runs
Scorecard

Tom Plant and Callum Ferguson scored centuries and shared a fourth-wicket stand of 218, but it wasn't enough to save South Australia from a comprehensive defeat at Sydney. Stuart MacGill and Matthew Nicholson shared nine of the ten wickets to fall, as New South Wales cruised to victory by an innings and 133 runs.

Trailing by 401 runs in the first innings, South Australia fought back spiritedly in the morning session, thanks to Plant and Ferguson. Plant (125) scored his maiden Test hundred, hitting 15 fours in his knock, and along with Ferguson took the total to 251 for 3.

Then, it all unravelled, as South Australia lost seven wickets for the addition of 17 runs. Plant was trapped in front by Nicholson, who finished with 4 for 81, while Ferguson was out five balls later, caught in the gully off MacGill. MacGill ended up with 5 for 73, and immediately announced that he aimed to be in the Australian side for the tour to New Zealand in February.

"If I'm being honest, I haven't budgeted for a domestic Test match this year," he said. "My goal is to get on the tour of New Zealand. If I don't play there I still want to be part of the touring party, and then the Ashes. If I get a Test match before then, it's a bonus. There are plenty of things for me to look forward to without worrying too much about playing for Australia. I'm enjoying this. This is a really good bunch of guys we've got here."

He also expressed his delight with his performance in this match. "My job in this team is to provide incisive spells a couple of times during the game, but particularly in the last innings of a game. It's pleasing I did that today. I think the guys should almost expect me to do that. I've been around a while. I'm supposed to do it. We were talking this morning and we thought there would be maybe two collapses today. They are a couple of young guys trying to make their way in first-class cricket so I did expect some resistance from them, but I didn't expect a lot of resistance from the tail."

The win put New South Wales in second play in the Pura Cup table, behind Queensland.