Hunt is badly injured as Victoria falls behind by one point but gains the lead.

Jake Fraser-McGurk was dismissed early as Victoria soared to the summit of the One-Day Cup standings at Junction Oval with a three-wicket victory over South Australia.

Thursday, with 35 balls remaining, Victoria chased 232 for the victory. Valuable contributions from Tom Rogers (67), Nic Maddinson (54), and Marcus Harris (43) helped them reach the target.

The triumph propelled Victoria from third to first place in the standings prior to the season’s final round; nevertheless, they failed to seize an opportunity that could have been pivotal, going down 5 for 41 in their pursuit of it prior to crossing the line.

In their championship match, Victoria faces second-placed New South Wales, with both teams seeking to secure a berth in the decider on February 25. Defending champions Western Australia are the only other team capable of securing a place in the final; they are one point behind New South Wales and four points behind Victoria.

South Australia maintains last place with no results from their six matches and five losses.

Henry Hunt, an opener, sustained a suspected fractured nose when he was struck in the face while fielding a catch at mid-off. Hunt was rendered livid in the face.

Hunt was hemorrhaging from the nostril subsequent to his failed attempt to snare a powerful shot from Rogers at mid-off. As Hunt was descending to the ground, the ball evaded his grasp and struck him in the nostril, causing an immediate expulsion of blood.

Hunt was immediately assisted by teammates, and Rogers expressed his own concern. Hunt, who was treated on the field, ascended the stairs while containing the blood with a cloth over his muzzle before proceeding to the hospital for scans.

South Australia, when given the opportunity to bat, rallied from 132 for 7 to 231 for 9, a position that was manageable. Peter Siddle captured the first wicket of the day when Hunt’s attempted uppercut edged past the keeper.

Fraser-McGurk, an X-factor, was dismissed for six runs five deliveries later, having danced down the wicket and hit the formidable Fergus O’Neill direct to cover. It occurred only two days after Fraser-McGurk scored Australia’s 41 off 18 deliveries against the West Indies.

Jake Winter, making his début, and Nathan McSweeney assisted the Redbacks in advancing from 19 for 2 to 81 for 2. However, soon after both were caught behind, South Australia found themselves in peril once more at 85 for 4.

Prior to Harry Nielsen and Harry Conway bolstering the visitors to a manageable total, wickets continued to fall.

Peter Handscomb was also dismissed for 17 thanks to Conway’s acrobatic catch on the boundary, which was among the match’s highlights.