South Australia fall short in One-Day Cup opener against NSW

South Australia have fallen short in its One-Day Cup season opener, losing against New South Wales by 131 runs.

With captain Nathan McSweeney on Australia A duties, Alex Carey stepped up to lead the side and elected to bowl first after winning the toss. The match also marked a special milestone for debutant Harry Manenti, who was presented his Baggy Red by older brother and teammate Ben Manenti, surrounded by family and the squad in a touching pre-game moment.

South Australia struck early through Brendan Doggett, who removed Blake Nikitaras with a sharp catch at third slip by Jason Sangha. Despite the early breakthrough, NSW recovered through a strong partnership between Matthew Gilkes and Kurtis Patterson, before Doggett struck again to dismiss Patterson.

Wes Agar then delivered a fiery spell, removing Jack Edwards and Moises Henriques in quick succession. South Australia’s bowlers kept things tight, with Lloyd Pope economical on return from a UK stint, and Jordan Buckingham threatening across multiple spells. NSW finished their innings at 7/288, setting South Australia a target of 289 for victory.

In reply, South Australia started positively with a 62-run stand between Daniel Drew and Mackenzie Harvey, but momentum shifted quickly. Carey fell early, and a collapse followed as Tanveer Sangha and Chris Green combined with the ball.

From 1/84, South Australia slumped to 6/106 at the halfway mark.

Despite some late resistance from Brendan Doggett (28 off 34) and Jordan Buckingham (15* off 19), the chase never regained traction. South Australia were bowled out well short, with T Sangha (4/35) and Green (4/25) sharing eight wickets in a match-winning spin display.

Mackenzie Harvey top-scored for South Australia with 60 off 55, while Wes Agar led the bowling with 2/44 from his 10 overs. On debut, Harry Manenti returned figures of 0/37 from six overs and made 5 with the bat.

South Australia will look to bounce back quickly, with their next One-Day Cup fixture set for Wednesday, September 24 at Karen Rolton Oval, where they’ll host Western Australia.