Victoria skipper Aaron Finch is expecting the heavily criticised WACA pitch to come to life for their Sheffield Shield clash with Western Australia.
The flat Perth pitch came under fire during the recent second Test as Australian and New Zealand bowlers toiled and batsmen piled on the runs.
But Finch, who is captain in the absence of injured wicketkeeper Matthew Wade, is expecting a result in their four-day game starting on Friday.
"As a batter I hope it's exactly the same," Finch said on Tuesday.
"But being a Shield game I'll be surprised if there isn't a little bit more grass left on it.
"The Test wicket was very flat and the cricket was pretty uneventful as it didn't look like a result from quite a way out.
"We're expecting it to be a challenging wicket."
Clint McKay will play his first Shield game in a year after being named in the squad.
The former Australian one-day paceman and fellow quick Chris Tremain have replaced James Pattinson and Peter Siddle, who are with the Australian Test squad in Adelaide.
McKay was an integral part of Australia's ODI team between 2010-14 but the 32-year-old has found himself on the outer at both international and state level over the past year.
Finch backed McKay to get the job done and said his experience would be invaluable.
"He brings a lot of experience to the group and especially being without James and `Sids', I think that leaves a bit of a hole," Finch said.
"He will be a great head for the younger guys to bounce some ideas off including me as the captain."
Victoria sit top of the Shield ladder after three rounds and while they dominated their recent match against the Warriors, Will Bosisto's 288-ball knock of 108 on the final day denied the Bushrangers victory.
Finch, who still harbours aspirations of playing Test cricket, said it was a frustrating day and he hoped they wouldn't find themselves in the same position.
"They played well to deny us the win," he said.
"We couldn't have tried more ... they are a quality side and no doubt they will be up there at the end of the season."
Victoria:
Aaron Finch (capt), Rob Quiney, Travis Dean, Marcus Stoinis, Peter Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell, Dan Christian, Aaron Ayre, Clint McKay, Chris Tremain, Fawad Ahmed, Scott Boland.
Share
