Blewett secures (yet another) thrilling win for Redbacks

The Mercantile Mutual Cup match between South Australia and Western Australia here at the Adelaide Oval today has resulted in a spectacular finish, with the Redbacks hanging on doggedly to secure victory by two runs and to prolong their involvement in some thrilling finishes this domestic one-day season.

The Redbacks' hold on victory had been weakened through much of the afternoon by a sterling partnership for the second wicket between Justin Langer (88) and Murray Goodwin (70) as the pair set about helping their team to overhaul the stiff challenge that had been established by the South Australians' score of 7/260. The pair went about their business with little fanfare, until Langer added real lustre to the pursuit by smashing a ball from Redback youngster Paul Rofe (0/46 from ten overs) for six in the twenty-eighth over.

In the end, it took a beautiful catch from Brett Swain on the square boundary to end the partnership at a mark of 126; the stay by Goodwin (70) coming to a close in the first over of medium pacer Ryan Harris (1/29 from five overs).

The much-anticipated arrival at the crease of Adam Gilchrist (46), the man likely to be Australia's captain for the Third Test against West Indies next week, again illustrated why the Western Australian wicketkeeper-batsman is held in such high regard. He dispatched Darren Lehmann's first delivery for six and then smashed another delivery from the part-time left arm spinner over the fence again in the next. The Redbacks' skipper was receiving a taste of the medicine that he had dished out earlier in the day and he had little choice but to remove himself from the attack after conceding nineteen runs from those two overs.

If anything, the presence of his Australian teammate at the wicket seemed to spur on Langer, and the two went about compiling runs with effortless ease. A fifty partnership was raised from a mere forty-three balls and, no matter what Lehmann did, the end result seemed to be the same. Medium pacer Mick Miller (0/48 from eight overs) copped punishment similar in magnitude to that exacted on Lehmann himself and the Warriors sped past the 200 mark in the fortieth over to set themselves up nicely.

It was then that another Lehmann change did turn the game on its ear - Greg Blewett (4/33 from five match-deciding overs) capturing the prized scalp of Gilchrist when an airy drive flew to Harris at cover at the end of a glorious attacking innings.

Western Australian skipper Tom Moody (21) joined Langer to provide some stability, but the latter seemed to be cramping up, and running between the wickets was becoming increasingly difficult for him all the while. Another vital wicket for Blewett - which came when he clean bowled Moody - only added to the drama.

Brendon Julian (11) came in as a pinch hitter and enjoyed immediate success when the very first ball that he faced was swung mightily for six. The balance of the game had been swinging back and forth all afternoon and, it appeared that when Chris Davies dropped the powerful right hander at cover, the die might finally have been cast decisively.

It was then Langer found himself in serious injury trouble. After seemingly cramping up, he called for a runner, only to have the request disallowed. He experienced further pain three balls later and again called for a runner. Lehmann eventually agreed but, in a cruel twist of fate, Langer was run out shortly thereafter - his runner, Ryan Campbell being caught short of his ground after he had tried to beat a return back to the bowler's end from Paul Wilson at long on.

Mike Hussey (2) arrived with one over remaining and everything still pointing toward the tightest of conclusions. Blewett approached the bowling crease with the Warriors still needing to score eight runs to win.

In an amazing sequence, the medium pacer bowled Julian with the opening delivery, conceded three runs to Hussey and Brad Hogg (2*) from the next two, before encouraging Hussey to loft a catch to Davies from the fourth. Hogg attained a single from the fifth ball, leaving new batsman Kade Harvey (1*) in the unenviable position of requiring a boundary from the final ball to secure a Warriors win. From the ensuing full toss, the all-rounder could only manage another single instead.

It put an end to a remarkable game, which had seen sensational batting from David Fitzgerald (103), Goodwin, Lehmann (63 from forty-four balls) and Gilchrist, the drama of Langer on one leg, and the re-emergence of Blewett as a game-breaking change bowler. Just for good measure, Lehmann added to another tense victory as captain the honour of scoring the fastest half-century of the Mercantile Mutual Cup season. In the fifties, he also sped past Dean Jones' previous mark for the most ever runs by an individual in Australian domestic one-day competition.