WHILE it may not have been the most flattering scoreline of the weekend from a statistical standpoint, there was no more important performance than Henry Hunt‘s against Victoria in the Sheffield Shield.

The South Australia Redbacks opener was put in a tricky spot in his side’s second innings in their first class outing against the Vics. His side needed to pull off a remarkable run chase of 425 runs, so a draw was the only feasible option. However, it looked in jeopardy when the Redbacks suffered a bit of a batting collapse in their top to middle order.

Despite some of South Australia’s big names falling quite cheaply, Hunt held on, spending a ridiculous amount of time at the crease and never faulting in his goal to produce a brave draw for his team. In the end, Victoria fell three wickets short of victory, in what was an excellent result for the Redbacks.

Henry Hunt vs. Victoria (Second Innings) – 97 runs from 326 balls

Hunt and fellow opener Jake Weatherald made a strong start to the innings, finishing day three at 0/38 and only needing to hold on for one more day as a team. The pair combined for a 75-run partnership, before Weatherald was sent packing by Scott Boland. It started an avalanche of dismissals for the Redbacks, as the Victorians had a purple patch during which South Australia could only manage 5/47.

Travis Head and Alex Carey were both sent back to the sheds in disappointing fashion, and Victoria came within striking distance of victory.

Despite immense pressure, Hunt refused to budge.

Waiting for the right time to strike, he never bit off any more than he could chew, often looking towards offside and using the strength from his legs to gain power and pick the gaps in the field.

During the early stages of his knock, he was searching for the boundary (albeit in risk-free fashion), but as the innings went on, he played more defensive shots. Hunt’s work on the front foot was terrific, making sure he made contact with his bat and avoided any potential LBW dismissals.

His longevity was reminiscent of Indian cricketer Cheteshwar Pujara, who has made quite a successful career out of being able to remain at the crease. Leaves and blocks were Hunt’s go to for over 300 balls, as he held on to finish the day with his side’s tail enders and rob Victoria of what was once a near-certain triumph.

He could have brought up his ton in the final over of the day, but the two sides called it with two ball remaining in the day, at which point Hunt would have been exhausted after a seven-hour effort.

Hunt now looms as a potential opener for the Australian side, having shown his ability to perform at the top of the order, and the national team yearning for a consistent opening partnership, which may come in the form of Hunt and Will Pucovski.