Test stars Steve Smith and Mitchell Starc were again at the fore as NSW continued their red-hot early-summer form to crush surprise one-day cup finalists South Australia, ending a 10-year drought in the competition.

The final appeared a mismatch on paper, and so it proved as NSW ran down South Australia’s 221 with 20.1 overs to spare, as Smith and Ed Cowan carved up the Redbacks bowling to pass the target at 1-223.

Smith and Cowan treated the SA bowlers with contempt at times as the pair shared an unbeaten stand of 165 in just 23 overs.

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Smith finished with 84 not out off 72 balls, while Cowan was unbeaten on 88 from 78 deliveries.

In-form opener Nic Maddinson set the tone with a four from the first ball of the innings, amid a rollicking knock of 44 from just 29 balls.

Smith’s innings ensured he finished top run-scorer in the three-week competition, with the Test captain hitting 435 runs at an average of 145.

Two of the three dismissals across his six matches were without scoring.

While Smith shone with the bat, it was Test teammate Starc who was the brightest star, collecting 26 wickets to usurp Victoria’s Shane Harwood as the highest wicket-taker for a domestic one-day cup season.

He averaged a measly eight runs per wicket in the competition.

Starc, who was named player of the series, clean bowled key SA run-scorer Travis Head in the first over, before returning to demolish the tail and collect 3-39.

Starc said his combinations during the tournament with fellow pacemen Gurinder Sandhu and Josh Hazlewood, who took 3-28 against the Redbacks, were pivotal to NSW’s success.

“It is about making sure we bowl in partnerships and I think NSW has done that really well throughout this Matador Cup,” said Starc.

“We have really worked hard with the new ball especially. Today was a show of how we pull it back in the middle, and then bowl really well at the death.”

Starc says his next aim is to be more consistent in the longer form of the game, starting with the First Test against New Zealand in a fortnight.

“I still feel there is a way to go with improvement with the white ball, and definitely with the red,” he said.

Tom Cooper top-scored for the Redbacks with a diligent knock of 105, as he and Callum Ferguson (61) put on 154 for the third wicket, only for the latter’s dismissal to facilitate a collapse of 8-55.

“It (the result) does remind us that we still have a fair way to go,” said Redbacks captain Head.

“We have worked really hard, but there is still a gap between us and probably the best team in Australia.”

– AAP