Fitzgerald bats through opening day to put SA in command

ADELAIDE, March 6 AAP - South Australian opener David Fitzgerald batted throughout the opening day to put the Redbacks in firm command of their Pura Cup match at Adelaide Oval today.

At stumps, SA was 1-266 after winning the toss, Fitzgerald unbeaten on 127 from 283 balls for his third century of the season and skipper Greg Blewett on 61.

Fitzgerald shared an opening stand of 137 with Shane Deitz, who was bowled by paceman Damien Wright for 57 late in the second session when he played an attempted pull shot onto his stumps.

The openers scored only 60 from 29 overs in the opening session on a flat pitch, but it laid a solid platform from which SA was able to launch an assault in the final two sessions.

An increasingly confident and free-scoring Fitzgerald and Blewett put on an unbroken 129-run second-wicket stand, including 106 in the final session.

"We've had a tendency to get one little partnership and then lose a few quick wickets, so it was important to just keep building and building and play to our strengths," Fitzgerald told reporters.

The SA batsmen were helped when Tigers paceman Adam Griffith suffered a strain to his right hamstring in the second session and he did not bowl in the final session.

Tasmanian coach Brian McFadyen said Griffith was to receive an ultrasound tonight and depending on the result of that test, might not bowl again tomorrow.

The young paceman had already missed last week's match against SA in Hobart with thigh and calf injuries.

Should he be unavailable, it would leave the Tigers with a very thin pace attack of Gerard Denton and Wright, himself returning from injury.

Left-arm orthodox spinners Daniel Marsh and Xavier Doherty both had little impact today, Doherty in particular with 0-81 from 22 overs, tiring late in the day and conceding 14 runs from his final over.

With SA having no chance to make the Cup final after last week's outright loss in Hobart, Fitzgerald said the team had been intent simply on getting the best out of each discipline in this match.

He said his century gave him something positive to take away from the summer.

"It's been a funny season, this is my third century, but I've had quite a few starts and probably haven't gone on, so that's been disappointing, but to get another century is very pleasing," he said.