Usman Khawaja and Travis Head both fall cheaply ahead of Ashes
Marnus Labuschagne made a century following the suspension of play on the first day due to the pitch
ESPNcricinfo staff
24-Nov-2021
Marnus Labuschagne worked hard for his hundred • Getty Images
South Australia 8 for 93 (Kuhnemann 4-25) trail Queensland 302 (Labuschagne 110, Street 87) by 209 runs
The pitch behaved itself on the second day at Karen Rolton Oval, although was far from easy, and Marnus Labuschagne made his second hundred of the season, but the contest for the No. 5 spot in the Ashes side fell flat with failures for both Usman Khawaja and Travis Head.
After play was suspended 50 overs into the opening due to concerns over damp patches on a length the game resumed on time. Although Queensland fell away from 1 for 179 they were in control at stumps having reduced the home side to 8 for 93 on a surface that remained challenging.
Head was caught at leg slip off the left-arm spin of Matt Kuhnemann to continue a relatively lean run of scores since the opening weeks of the season.
Earlier, Khawaja, who is competing with Head for a return to the Test side, was caught behind off an inside edge against Dan Worrall. Both batters will hope to make a mark in the second innings of this contest before the Australia-Australia A fixture at the start of December, although speaking when the squad was announced national selector George Bailey said the selectors had their preferred candidate.
It was the blows Labuschagne took on the opening day that prompted the suspension of play but there were no such alarms as he moved towards three figures.
He and Bryce Street, who is part of the Australia A squad, added 124 for the second wicket but from there South Australia fought back. At one stage Queensland lost four wickets for five runs which included Labuschagne dragging on a sweep against Head's part-time offspin. It took Kuhnemann at No. 11 to lift them over 300.
The early stages of South Australia's reply were promising but once Henry Hunt fell to James Bazley they went into a nosedive. After Head's departure their situation was compounded when Alex Carey slog-swept to deep square leg before Jake Weatherald was bounced out by Mark Stekette.
Kuhnemann, who has been excellent this season filling in for Mitchell Swepson, had time to claim two more wickets before the close to leave South Australia starring at a follow-on.