Smith fires after Starc rolls Redbacks for 120

New South Wales 9 for 262 dec and 1 for 217 (Smith 103*, Cowan 82*) lead South Australia 120 (Head 37, Starc 5-28) by 359 runs
Scorecard

Mitchell Starc placed New South Wales' foot firmly on South Australia's throat before Steven Smith ensured it stayed there on the second night of the Sheffield Shield fixture in Adelaide.

Reduced to 3 for 3 on the first evening, SA slid quickly to 5 for 9 and were unable to summon a match-shaping partnership from this grim position, though Travis Head and Tim Ludeman both made starts.

After fizzing past nightwatchman Joe Mennie and then Tom Cooper, Starc had figures of 4 for 5, before finishing with 5 for 28. He was complemented by Josh Hazlewood in a tandem that now looks highly likely to appear in the first Test against New Zealand at the Gabba.

Notably, Starc had the ball moving in the afternoon, a fact that will interest the New Zealand bowlers who felt the pink Kookaburra would only swing under lights.

SA's dismissal afforded Smith and his national team deputy David Warner the chance to bat in lengthening shadows. While Warner fell to Mennie for 30, Smith reprised his Matador Cup final union with Ed Cowan as the visitors continued to prosper under lights, suggesting that the first innings pressure had played some part in SA's horrid start in addition to the vagaries of the pink ball.

Smith's hundred will go some way towards allaying Australian anxieties, while Cowan showed he has fitted very smoothly back into the colours of his home state after six fruitful years in Tasmania.