Australian short-form specialist Adam Zampa made a triumphant return to the Marsh Sheffield Shield taking three wickets as NSW rolled Victoria for 209 in their first innings.
In reply NSW were 2 for 61 at stumps on day one trailing Victoria by 149 runs with eight wickets remaining heading into day two at CitiPower Centre, St. Kilda.
Zampa hadn’t played a four day game since 2019 for South Australia after making his debut for NSW back in 2012, but finished with figures of 3 for 57 from 18 overs with two maidens and an economy rate of 3.17.
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Zampa told cricket.com.au on the eve of his first red ball game in three years that he still holds out hope of playing Test cricket, despite his white-ball commitments making it tough to play four-day cricket in recent seasons.
“I definitely still do harbour (Test and first-class) ambitions,” Zampa told cricket.com.au.
“I’ll play any cricket that’s available. It’s just worked out over the last few years that white ball has been the highlight of that – we’ve had so many white-ball tours where we just haven’t been able to play red-ball cricket.
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“The conversations I’ll be having with selectors, particularly once Test tours to the subcontinent start up again is, ‘I’m bowling well and I’m keen to be on those tours’.
“I don’t think playing Shield cricket is necessarily the be-all and end-all to getting in the Test squad.
“If I’m bowling well at the time when those tours get selected then hopefully I’ll be on them.”
Victoria batted first on day one but struggled after opener Ashley Chandrasinghe was bowled by Sean Abbott for a duck to set the tone for the visitors.
Plenty of Victoria’s batters got starts, but were unable to capitalise with Mickey Edwards snaring Travis Dean for 18, caught by Jason Sangha.
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Australian Test hopeful Peter Handscomb and Campbell Kellaway also made 18 each, with the former caught by Abbott off Moises Henriques, while the latter was bowled by Chris Green.
Former Test player Nic Maddinson could only manage 13 before he was bowled to give Abbot his second scalp.
Will Sutherland and wicketkeeper Sam Harper led a fightback with both notching 39, before Zampa claimed them both to have Victoria’s top seven back in the pavilion.
Zampa had Sutherland caught by Kurtis Patterson, before trapping Harper LBW.
Abbott picked up his third knocking over Fergus O’Neill for 16 to give Patterson his second catch of the innings.
Sam Elliott, the son of former Australian opener Matthew Elliott couldn’t repeat his heroics from last week, caught by Abbott to give Zampa his third of the day.
Abbott secured the last wicket of the innings with Todd Murphy caught by Baxter Holt for 3 to give the NSW paceman figures of 4 for 56 from 18.1 overs.
In reply NSW lost openers Patterson (7) and Daniel Hughes (34) to Sutherland and O’Niell with Sangha 15 not out and Henriques 5 not out to resume on day two.
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WEATHERALD AND MCSWEENEY TON UP FOR SOUTH ASUTRALIA
Jake Weatherald and Nathan McSweeeney both scored centuries after Tasmania won the toss and sent South Australia in on the first day of their Marsh Sheffield Shield clash at Blundstone Arena.
South Australia finished the first day with 8 for 309 at stumps with Weatherald and McSweeney saving their blushes after the rest of the top order struggled.
Weatherald blasted 100 from 132 balls, including 14 fours and two sixes, before he was caught by Jackson Bird off Peter Siddle.
McSweeney compiled 118 from 241 balls, including 11 boundaries, before he was trapped LBW by Beau Webster.
The rest of the top order were blown away by Siddle, who finished with figures of 4 for 59 for Tasmania after claiming Henry Hunt for 1, caught by Jake Doran.
Siddle also had Daniel Drew caught by Ben McDermott for 11 and Jake Lehmann caught by Webster for 2 to have his fingerprints all over the top of the scorecard.
Thomas Kelly came and went for 6, caught by a substitute fielder off Jackson Bird.
Bird caught Harry Nielsen off Riley Meredith for a duck, before Ben Manenti and Nathan McAndrew got South Australia back on track. Manenti had 30, before he became Webster’s second scalp, also caught by the substitute.
At stumps McAndrew was 30 not out and will resume day two with Wes Agar on 0 not out as South Australia look to set a solid first innings target.
