Faulkner skittles Redbacks for 112

Tasmania 3 for 63 trail South Australia 112 (Faulkner 5-23) by 49 runs
Scorecard

James Faulkner demolished South Australia for 112 on a difficult day for the batsmen in Hobart, where Ricky Ponting and Ed Cowan also fell cheaply in the lead-up to the first Test against South Africa. At stumps on the first day, Tasmania were 3 for 63, with George Bailey on 24 and Aiden Blizzard on 17, and the Tigers needed another 50 runs to take first-innings points.

Cowan played on for 6 off the bowling of Daniel Worrall and Ponting was caught behind off Chadd Sayers for 5, to leave the Tigers at 3 for 28 after Mark Cosgrove had also departed for a duck. Thirteen wickets fell throughout the day, five of them to Faulkner, who finished with the outstanding figures of 5 for 23 from 12 overs.

Ben Hilfenhaus, who was bowling in a first-class match for the first time since April, collected 2 for 25 off 13 overs. He accounted for the debutant opener Sam Raphael, who equal top scored with 22 before he was caught at gully, and Callum Ferguson, who was caught at point for 5.

Ferguson had come to the crease after the Redbacks lost three wickets for no runs in the space of 10 balls as Faulkner provided some problems for the top order. The wickets kept coming with regularity and it was left to the captain Johan Botha (22) to push South Australia into triple figures, but they had a mountain of work ahead of them by stumps.