Victoria's bowling has lacked so much penetration over the past year, especially at home, that it has not been able to afford to squander any chances offered to its fielders.
NSW, even with a line-up depleted by international selection and injury, looked on track to inflict a gruelling day on the Bushrangers – the type that Australia is experiencing in Abu Dhabi – given the ease with which Scott Henry and Kurtis Patterson were ticking over the score.
Paceman Scott Boland was the pivotal player in thwarting the Blues' hopes of compiling a commanding day-one total at the MCG – he had a career-best 6-49 – but the pivotal moment was a magnificent reflex catch from the player comfortably the oldest in the match, David Hussey.
The veteran was in slips when the impressive Patterson cut leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed off the back foot, only to be left stunned when Hussey thrust out his non-favoured, left hand at full stretch above his shoulder to snare the boundary-bound ball.
Patterson was one of three Blues – Henry and Ben Rohrer were the others – to reach a half-century but then fall well before the century their team needed to make the home team rue its decision to field first in the first match of the season. While the 21-year-old was not the fastest – veteran Rohrer held that mantle – he was easily the most assured. His departure created an opportunity the home team clinically exploited to get the better of a day that seemed set to go the way of the visitors.
"It was a fantastic catch, one of the best I've seen. It's always tough up to the spinners, especially when someone is cutting hard because you're always backpedalling when it's coming, so it was a fantastic catch," said Rohrer. "At the time, Kurtis was just starting to up the ante and look quite good, so it changed the momentum a fair bit."
After solid middle-order partnerships of 99, 41 and 64 – including the three high-scorers and acting captain Peter Nevill (32 not out) – the visitors lost 4-18 against the second new ball to finish the day at 8-266 after 96 overs. Will Somerville, one of three Blues debutants, will resume day two on seven, alongside Nevill.
Boland has made huge strides as a cricketer in the past three years. Dubbed "Barrel" due to his physique when entering the state squad, the 25-year-old has dramatically improved his fitness. He was able to maintain his pace throughout the day and took 4-15 with the second new ball. That he did was a boost for captain Matthew Wade, who had boldly removed Chris Tremain after just one over in favour of his fellow right-armer.
"If that was two years ago, I think I would have been pretty cooked," Boland said. "It was quite a hot day and it was the first time [since last season] we'd bowled more than 10 overs.
"All the stuff I've been doing for a couple of years has been leading up to this, and it's nice to get a little bit of a reward.
"I was pretty tired [with the second new ball], but once you get a wicket you always get your tail up a little bit. Once I got one, and got down towards the tail, I was happy to keep bowling."
Rohrer's breezy innings ended when he misjudged the angle across him from Boland and edged on to his stumps. Boland then capitalised on the Blues' unusually long tail with the scalps of Patrick Jackson, Josh Lalor and Gurinder Sandhu, whose combined total was only 13 runs.
Rohrer said the visitors were unhappy Patterson, Henry and himself all departed well short of a century.
"It's been a thing we've spoken about, even through the one-dayers, that guys are getting starts and getting from 40 to 70 or 80 and no one's making a big score," he said. "That's definitely a concern within the team and something we'll be looking to rectify pretty quickly, hopefully in the second innings."
The Blues' primary goal on Saturday morning will be to deny Victoria a wicket for at least the next four overs because, under the new points system, bowling teams receive 1.5 points if they claim nine wickets within the first 100 overs.
