Steve O'Keefe bags five for New South Wales on rain-affected day
Only 47 overs were possible due to several interruptions. Will Pucovski made 82 and Peter Handscomb 54 as Victoria took a first innings lead.
ESPNcricinfo staff
01-Dec-2019
Steve O'Keefe celebrates a wicket • Getty Images
New South Wales 0 for 7 & 294 trail Victoria 7 for 307 dec (Pucovski 82, Maddinson 59, Handscomb 54, O'Keefe 5-80) by 6 runs
New South Wales spinner Steve O' Keefe took five wickets but Victoria claimed a first-innings lead on a rain-affected third day at the MCG.
Only 47 overs were possible due to several interruptions. Will Pucovski made 82 and Peter Handscomb 54 as Victoria declared shortly after taking the lead late in the day in the hope of getting nine overs at New South Wales' openers but they only managed one in bad light before stumps was called.
Pucovski and Handscomb weren't able to add much to their overnight totals in a slow opening session. Handscomb reached his half-century but fell shortly after, while Matthew Short added 40. Pucovski batted for 35 overs and only added 20 runs while taken several blows on the body as the ball seamed around. His patient 257-ball vigil, which only featured four boundaries, came to an end when he advanced at O'Keefe and was stumped by a large margin, undone by some turn and drop from over the wicket.
O'Keefe prized out two more for his 13th five-wicket haul in first-class cricket. Daniel Hughes and Nick Larkin negotiated Jon Holland's sole over in the fading light.