Wickets, injury, wicket: Jhye Richardson’s dramatic Shield return

Stumps • Starts 4:00 AM

Day 2 – South Aust trail by 234 runs.

South Australia 139 for 4 (Hunt 71*, Nielsen 48*, Richardson 3-26) trail Western Australia 373 (Goodwin 139, Turner 79, Doggett 5-97, Johnson 3-108) by runs

Three South Australia top-order batters made golden ducks as Western Australia took a stranglehold on their Sheffield Shield game amid a dramatic return to four-day cricket by Jhye Richardson.

After WA, anchored by Jayden Goodwin‘s 137, posted 373 all out, SA spectacularly collapsed on day two at Adelaide Oval.

Opener Conor McInerney, No. 3 Daniel Drew and No. 4 Jake Lehmann were all dismissed on their first ball as SA crashed to 2 for 3

But Henry Hunt and Harry Nielsen recovered as the home side reach 139 for 4

Richardson, playing his first Shield game in a year, sparked the early drama with the wickets on consecutive deliveries of McInerney and Drew in his first over.

Richardson, hooping the pink ball great distances before dusk fell, produced a big inswinger to trap left-hander McInerney leg before wicket. Next ball, he delivered a massive inswinger to right-hander Drew for another lbw.

Richardson ran down the pitch and celebrated by high-fiving team-mates but then sank to his haunches while grabbing his right shoulder. The 28-year-old was making his comeback to Shield cricket after a string of shoulder, hamstring and side injuries.

Richardson, who played the last of his three Tests in December 2021 before his wretched run with injury, walked from the field with help while delicately holding his right arm. But after being assessed by medical staff, he returned to action some 30 minutes later and continued bowling.

He was able to add the wicket of Thomas Kelly, caught at second slip, although was careful with the celebrations

After Richardson had left the field, Lance Morris, another return to Shield cricket, removed Lehmann for SA’s third golden duck.

Earlier, WA’s Goodwin scored his second first-class ton, striking 14 fours in his 272-ball knock. Goodwin, the son of Zimbabwean Test player Murray, and Ashton Turner, thwarted a South Australian bowling attack led by Brendan Doggett and Spencer Johnson.