Shaun Marsh would be likely to have ranked as the most disappointed person in Australia when he was excluded from Australia's Test team to face India, but Victoria's players would not have been far behind him.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The 31-year-old will, based on recent form, be the pivotal player in the match starting on Tuesday between Western Australia and Victoria, which occupy the top two rungs on the Sheffield Shield ladder.
Marsh did not score a century in his first 29 innings against the Bushrangers. In his past two innings against them, in November last year and last month's abandoned match, he thwarted their bowlers for a combined total of just under 60 overs facing 359 deliveries in his unbeaten innings of 127 and, most recently, 134.
"Whoever can get that wicket is going to get a big pat on the back, for sure," Victoria bowling all-rounder John Hastings said.
"He's really impressive, especially that innings he played at the MCG in that last game. It was pretty special. Hopefully we can knock him over early, but if we don't, we've got to find a way to try and contain him."
Since that match, Victoria has lost Chris Rogers to Test duty. David Hussey and fit-again batting all-rounder Marcus Stoinis were included in the 13-man squad to face WA.
The Bushrangers trail the Warriors by only 1.26 points, and have a 7.68-point buffer to South Australia in third place.
Hastings said a good result at the WACA Ground, where it had won five consecutive matches until last year's thrashing by an innings, would leave them very well placed for the second half of the season, once the Big Bash League is completed.
"[Coach] Justin Langer's done a pretty good job with them, but [during my time] it's always been a really good place for us to come over and play," he said.
"We always thought if we had enough points in the bank then we could give it a real shake towards the back end of the season," he said.
After the BBL the Bushrangers are on track to be able to call upon Peter Siddle after Test duty and James Pattinson and emerging paceman Jake Reed after injury.
"The confidence in our group is absolutely there," Hastings said. "If we can just somehow get a win here [in Perth], or even get a few more bonus points in this game than they do, it's going to hold us in good stead for having a red-hot crack at winning another shield."
WA (from): Voges (c), S.Marsh (vc), Agar, Bancroft, Beaton, Behrendorff, Harris, Hogan, Klinger, Mackin, Rimmington, Whiteman. VICTORIA (from): Wade (c), Ahmed, Boland, Christian, Finch, Handscomb, Hastings, Hussey, Maxwell, Quiney, Stoinis, Tremain, White.
