Paceman Mitchell Starc has made a pain-free comeback in his first cricket match in almost four months, but has finished on the losing side.
Ahead of the home Ashes Test series, the left-arm quick took 1-55 from his 10 overs for NSW against South Australia in Friday's domestic one-day cup at Sydney's Hurstville Oval.
Starc struggled for rhythm in his first spell, but was happier with his efforts later in the innings.
He last played in June's limited-overs Champions Trophy in England and had been dealing with a foot injury.
Batting first, SA smashed 6-346 with Alex Ross (110 off 85 balls), Jake Weatherald (103 off 114) and Test wicketkeeping aspirant Alex Carey (60 off 55) plundering runs.
The Blues were well placed at 1-202 in the 34th over, but lost Daniel Hughes (105 off 104) and Kurtis Patterson (84 off 88) off successive deliveries after the pair had put on 189 runs.
Starc smashed a couple of sixes in a quickfire 23 off 21 balls but the Blues were dismissed for 301 with two balls to go to lose by 45 runs.
Paceman Joe Mennie (4-53) was the Redbacks' most-successful bowler.
Watched by Australian coach Darren Lehmann, Starc's first four overs cost 25 runs.
He bowled two overs in a second spell and his last four at the end, having Weatherald caught behind in his seventh over.
"I got a few cobwebs out, I guess," Starc told reporters.
"It felt OK, a few crappy overs in the first spell, but I finished off OK ... the foot's good.
"I don't think I did too well in the first few spells but I did my job at the end. Apart from the first spell, I was pretty happy with it.
"I got through 10 overs perfectly fine today with no pain."
Man of the match Ross' onslaught included taking 32 runs off an over from Test spinner Nathan Lyon, clobbering him for four sixes and two fours.
Lyon (2-88 off nine) earlier took the wickets of Callum Ferguson (19) and Tom Cooper (0) with successive deliveries, both trapped lbw.
The win puts SA on top of the cup table.
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