Victoria claimed a series of key wickets to stifle South Australia’s run chase on Sunday’s tense final day of the Sheffield Shield match at Adelaide Oval.

Chasing 189 to win, the Redbacks were 5-122 at lunch.

The Bushrangers, seeking an outright win to take a six-point lead at the top of the Shield table, dismissed SA dangerman Phil Hughes, Callum Ferguson and Johan Botha in Sunday’s opening session.

After resuming at 2-34, paceman John Hastings claimed the prized scalp of Hughes, lbw for 35, with the score on 62.

Ferguson (18) and Botha (golden duck) then fell lbw to medium pacer Scott Boland (2-21) in consecutive deliveries as SA slipped to 5-82.

The Redbacks’ hopes of a first Shield win at home since October 2009 rest largely with 19-year-old batsman Travis Head (32 not out) and wicketkeeper Tim Ludeman (19 not out).

The pair have steadied SA with an unbroken 40-run partnership, while opening batsman Sam Raphael was expected to resume his innings at some stage after retiring hurt on Saturday when struck in the head by a James Pattinson (1-37) bouncer.