Burns ton puts Bulls on victory path

South Australia 162 and 1 for 12 trail Queensland 356 (Burns 130, Hartley 68, Putland 6-72) by 182 runs
Scorecard

Joe Burns scored his third first-class century to put Queensland on the verge of a place in the Sheffield Shield final after two days against South Australia. The Bulls took a 194-run lead on the first innings thanks to Burns' 130 and at stumps the Redbacks were 1 for 12 in their second innings, with Tom Stray on 5 and Travis Head on 4.

They had lost Michael Klinger lbw to James Hopes for 3 and faced an uphill battle to make Queensland bat again, let alone avoid defeat. The Bulls entered the match second on the Shield table but because they had one more win than Victoria and Tasmania, who were equal on points, victory over the Redbacks would guarantee the Bulls a spot in the decider.

Burns was part of two century partnerships that gave Queensland their comfortable lead, a 119-run stand with the opener Alex Kemp (47) and a 120-run combination with Chris Hartley, who scored 68. The lower order also provided some useful runs through Steve Magoffin, who made 46 not out, and Alister McDermott (22).

Gary Putland picked up a career-best 6 for 72 but it was unlikely to be enough to save the Redbacks, who will finish on the bottom of the Shield table.