Victoria fast bowler Clint McKay remains unlikely to play in the Bushrangers' Sheffield Shield match against South Australia but could return from injury for next week's Ryobi Cup clash.
McKay injured his hamstring in Victoria's nine-wicket victory over Western Australia in the one-day competition on November 7 and was expected to miss two weeks, but Friday's opening day of the Sheffield Shield game with South Australia at the MCG may be just a bit too early for the 29-year-old.
Bushrangers batsman David Hussey believes McKay is more likely to play in the one-day match versus the Redbacks on November 28, although the paceman was seen doing some running at the MCG on Tuesday.
"I'm glad he's running out at the moment, it's good for him, it's good for him just to be getting out and back with the boys training," Hussey said after watching McKay go through his paces.
"So hopefully he's ready to go, maybe not for the Shield game but for one-dayer against South Australia and then fully fit for the Big Bash."
While the Bushrangers are still buzzing from Sunday's stunning successful chase of NSW's 350 at North Sydney Oval, Hussey has reminded his team-mates how important it is to get points on the board before the Big Bash takes over domestic cricket through December and most of January.
The upcoming Sheffield Shield and Ryobi Cup fixtures against South Australia at the MCG are an opportunity for Victoria to cement their leads in both competitions before the Big Bash break.
"We're top of the table in both competitions and we'd like to stay there for the remainder of this season," Hussey said.
Bushrangers all-rounder Glenn Maxwell believes the team can use their six-wicket win over NSW as inspiration for the rest of the season, after chasing down 350 with 20 balls to spare.
"One of the things the Vics have always said is that we can win from any position and we did it again," Maxwell said.
"Obviously, we leaked 350, which whether or not that was par … we were able to chase it down and do it quite easily.
"So I think we'll take a lot of confidence out of that game."
First Posted 20 November, 2012 4:37PM AEST
