South Australia 229 and 5 for 228 (Ferguson 103, Cummins 2-26) lead New South Wales 434 (Cowan 125, Maddinson 70, Henriques 54, Worrall 5-85) by 23 runs
Scorecard

Callum Ferguson led South Australia's efforts to forge a fourth-innings lead over New South Wales on the penultimate day of the Sheffield Shield match at the SCG.

Having been dominated by the Blues for two days, the Redbacks fought back gamely on the third from the moment Daniel Worrall pinned the NSW centurion Ed Cowan lbw without addition in the first over of the morning.

From 3 for 332 the hosts subsided to 434 all out, with Worrall and the former NSW wristspinner Adam Zampa sharing eight wickets between them. SA made a disastrous start to their second innings when Pat Cummins had Sam Raphael caught behind and Jake Weatherald was then run out, both with only eight runs on the board.

But Ferguson followed up his first innings 75 with another determined innings, and found useful support from the captain Travis Head (55) and then Jake Lehmann (46) to keep the Redbacks in the match, even if the English spinner Mason Crane deceived Ferguson to end his innings in the shadows of stumps.