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SA on top of Queensland in Shield

Steve LarkinAAP
Queensland's Mark Steketee (l) celebrates one of his seven wickets in the Shield match against SA.
Camera IconQueensland's Mark Steketee (l) celebrates one of his seven wickets in the Shield match against SA. Credit: AAP

Queensland are scrapping for survival despite Test aspirant Mark Steketee's career-best seven-wicket haul against South Australia in their Sheffield Shield match.

Steketee claimed 7-44 yet the Bulls finished day two at Adelaide Oval at 2-63 in their second innings, trailing the Redbacks by 65 runs.

SA, with Harry Neilsen (71) and Travis Head (55) posting half-centuries, made 280 in reply to Queensland's meagre first innings total of 152.

Steketee was superb in taking the initial four wickets to fall and then cleaning up the tail with the last three wickets.

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The paceman, who was picked in Australia's Test squad for the aborted tour of South Africa last February-March, bettered his previous best first-class return of 5-19.

Sketekee struck early on Saturday, bowling opener Henry Hunt (37) and removing the in-form Head, who struck eight fours in a 66-ball knock.

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But the Redbacks were steadied by a telling partnership between Neilsen and Nathan McAndrew (39), who put on a match-high stand of 101 runs for the sixth wicket.

Their union steered SA to a healthy first-innings lead of 128 runs, with McAndrew, Hunt and Alex Carey (32) making handy contributions on a pitch offering assistance to the quick bowlers.

Queensland's second innings suffered an early setback when opener Joe Burns (two) was trapped leg before wicket by ex-Bulls paceman Brendan Doggett (1-20).

Fellow opener Bryce Street (23) skied an attempted pull shot from paceman Daniel Worrall (1-16) and was caught, leaving Queensland's resistance heavily reliant on Test star Marnus Labuschagne (22no) and captain Usman Khawaja (15no).

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