Peter Handscomb glided to an attractive ton as Victoria closed in on an outright victory over their nearest challenger South Australia on the penultimate night of the floodlit Sheffield Shield match

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Feb-2016
ScorecardFile photo – Peter Handscomb hit 17 fours during his 102•Cricket Australia/Getty ImagesVictoria closed in on an outright victory over their nearest challenger South Australia on the penultimate night of the floodlit Sheffield Shield match at Adelaide Oval.Victoria saw off four South Australia batsmen before stumps, two falling to Fawad Ahmed in a spell of 2 for 10 that was both threatening and economical. The hosts’ captain Travis Head (35*) is left with an enormous task to pull his side out of the mire.There had been plenty of purpose to Victoria’s batting earlier in the day as they set up a declaration. Peter Handscomb glided to an attractive century while Glenn Maxwell contributed his second half century of the match, a nicely modulated 63 from 109 deliveries.Matthew Wade and Dan Christian then accelerated, adding 70 in 13.3 overs before Victoria’s captain decided he had a sufficient lead. Should the Bushrangers win, the prospect of a competition final played in Alice Springs will become a distinct possibility.