South Australian opener Phil Hughes failed again after Queenslander Ben Cutting’s brutal batting delivered the Bulls first innings points in the Sheffield Shield match in Adelaide.

The Redbacks were 3-90 in their second innings at stumps on Thursday’s third day, an 86-run lead over the Bulls.

Test hopeful Hughes was out for eight – the same score he made in the first innings.

SA were earlier denied their first Shield points in more than a year by Cutting’s assault with the bat.

Queensland had slipped to 8-339 in reply to the Redbacks’ first innings of 9(dec)-402.

But Cutting then smacked four sixes and four boundaries in a whirlwind 62 from 48 balls which pulled the visitors past SA’s first innings total, with Queensland declaring at 9-406.

Cutting’s late flurry followed centuries by Bulls opener Wade Townsend (129) and Joe Burns (116).

Townsend and Burns put on 189 runs for the fourth wicket, a partnership broken by Redbacks allrounder Dan Christian, who finished with 4-81.

Test offspinner Nathan Lyon struggled in taking 2-131 from 24 overs while paceman Peter George also claimed two wickets.

SA’s second innings began badly when Hughes fell to Bulls captain James Hopes.

Hughes was dismissed in a fashion similar to his problems last summer which led to his Test axing – shuffling back, the lefthander nicked a ball which left him off the seam to first slip.

Bulls spinner Nathan Hauritz (2-13) then claimed two late wickets, Sam Miller (33) and Michael Klinger (40) to give the Queenslander’s momentum into Friday’s final day.