Peter Siddle is set for his chance to impress Australia's Test selectors with Victoria well on top in their Sheffield Shield clash with Tasmania.
The Bushrangers were 4-351 at stumps on the opening day of the day-night clash at the MCG, with opener Marcus Harris posting a quickfire century after Tasmania sent the hosts in to bat.
With a strong start under their belt, Victoria will be keen to close out their innings early on Wednesday so they can take full advantage of the pink ball, which generated plenty of movement late in the day.
For Siddle, it's an opportunity to audition for a spot in Australia's lineup for next week's first Test against South Africa in Perth.
The veteran seamer suffered a stress fracture in his back in February but looked sharp in his return to action in last week's one-day cup.
"It'll be a nice little hitout, get some overs under my belt and see how I pull up next week," he told the Nine Network on Tuesday.
"All in all, if I keep progressing like I am at the moment, I'm feeling good."
Siddle is competing against Tasmania's Jackson Bird to be the third seamer behind spearhead Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.
"By all reports he's got some zing and zip back which is great for us," Australia coach Darren Lehmann said of Siddle.
"He can bowl good line and length that can complement Starc but so can Jackson Bird - all those guys are in the frame.
"They can bowl themselves into the side over the next few days."
Like Starc, who is only expected to play half of NSW's Shield opener against Queensland, Siddle will have bowling restrictions imposed on him by Cricket Australia to prevent excessive strain.
Bird was the pick of the bowlers for Tasmania on Tuesday, finishing with 1-53 off 22 typically efficient overs.
The 195cm seamer is hoping to make his Test return after being overlooked during Australia's disastrous whitewash tour of Sri Lanka.
