Tasmania 3 for 102 (Wakim 68) trail South Australia 220 (Hunt 134, Siddle 4-42) by 118 runs
Henry Hunt played an extraordinary lone-hand for South Australia, scoring his second consecutive Sheffield Shield century to defy Tasmania on the second day of the rain-affected clash at Bellerive Oval.
Hunt made 134 out of South Australia's 220, with Liam Scott (42) the only other team-mate to reach 15, as Peter Siddle ripped through the visitors, taking 4 for 42.
Charlie Wakim made a fine 68 in reply, and Tim Ward faced 102 balls for 29 in the late afternoon to put Tasmania in a solid position only for Nathan McAndrew to remove both men in the fading light to leave the game well poised.
Earlier, Hunt stood firm after South Australia collapsed to 5 for 78 in overcast conditions, with Test hopeful Travis Head falling cheaply for 14, chopping Lawrence Neil-Smith onto his stumps, attempting a lead-footed drive on the up. Since dominating the early season matches at Karen Rolton Oval, Head has had diminishing returns of 53, 23, 21, 9 and 14 on spicier surfaces at Adelaide Oval, the WACA and Bellerive Oval.
Alex Carey also fell cheaply, slicing Siddle to point. Hunt was rock solid by comparison in his 236-ball epic. He struck 15 fours and three sixes to remain resolute while wickets tumbled at the other end. Scott provided excellent support in a brisk 65-run stand. Hunt was the last man out after adding 28 for the 10th wicket with David Grant facing just one ball. Jarrod Freeman picked up three wickets at the end of the innings.
Daniel Worrall struck early in Tasmania's first innings, squaring up Caleb Jewell with a peach to have him caught at third slip. Worrall operated with five slips at one stage, but Wakim and Ward negotiated the seaming conditions well as the sun came out in the afternoon. The pair shared a 96-run partnership, with Wakim striking eight boundaries in his fluent 68. But Wakim lost his off bail to a cracking off-cutter from Nathan McAndrew. Ward struck just one boundary in 102 deliveries he faced, playing very cautiously. But he fell driving at a ball that held up in the last over of the day, slicing McAndrew to point. Ben McDermott and Tasmania's perennial night-watchman Neil-Smith survived to stumps.
