Paris takes 11 in the match as Western Australia surge to victory
Cameron Bancroft took a blinding catch at slip on the final day to cap a fine match
AAP
29-Oct-2023
Joel Paris enjoyed a game to remember • Getty Images
Western Australia 241 (Bancroft 57, Cartwright 56, Agar 6-42) and 377 for 8 dec (Bancroft 100, Hardie 99) beat South Australia 264 (Manenti 86, Paris 6-74) and 154 (Paris 5-39, Haskett 3-31) by 200 runs
Joel Paris ripped through South Australia's batting to take a career-best 11 wickets for the match, bowling Western Australia to a 200-run Sheffield Shield win in Adelaide.
After WA declared overnight and set South Australia 355 on the final day to win, Paris claimed figures of 5 for 39 to have the Redbacks all out for 154.
Paris took the first two wickets, before coming back to finish the job early in the final session. No South Australian passed 30 in their second innings, as they surrendered inside 63 overs.
After taking 6 for 74 in the first innings to have the Redbacks all out for 264, Paris was a handful on Sunday in his first Shield match of the summer due to a hamstring injury.
While his career has been stalled by injury in recent years, Paris has never been far from selectors' thoughts after playing two ODIs for Australia in 2016.
So highly is he regarded, he was told during this year's Ashes to be ready to join the squad as cover for Mitchell Starc if the left-armer went down with injury.
The 30-year-old set the tone early when he drew South Australian opener Kelvin Smith's edge, discarding him for a duck. Paris also had Daniel Drew caught pulling, superbly taken by Hilton Cartwright with one arm above his head at midwicket.
Cameron Bancroft also took a great catch off Paris, fully outstretched to his left at second slip to remove Jake Lehmann for 6.
If Paris was Western Australia's best in the match, Bancroft wasn't far behind with 57 in their first-innings 241 before he hit an even 100 in the visitors' second dig.
Considered third-in-line at the start of the summer to replace the retiring David Warner after the Sydney Test, Bancroft is now averaging 92.50 this season.
With his fielding also on song, he is making a compelling case to move ahead of both Marcus Harris and Matt Renshaw in the eyes of Australian selectors.
"He's doing all he possibly can do at the moment," WA coach Adam Voges said. "He was outstanding all of last season, he has started this season like he did last year. He is the premier, form batsman of the competition."
After Bancroft's neat work in the field, Paris then returned to finish the match after tea when he took the edges of both Harry Conway and Wes Agar.
WA's other left-armer Liam Haskett took 3 for 31, while spinner Corey Rocchiccioli claimed 2 for 59 in the side's second Shield win of the summer.
The loss marked South Australia's second defeat in three games to start the season, leaving them in fourth spot on the ladder.
"It's pretty disappointing," coach Jason Gillespie said. "In three Shield games, we've had seven individual scores above 40. We just can't keep having these performances. We need to be better."