Tricky Tremain holds the aces for Aus A

Against two well-set batsmen with a reasonable amount of Test match experience, Australia A paceman Chris Tremain knew he would need a trick or two up his sleeve if he was going to have an impact.

And so as the shadows from the grandstand crept onto the pitch at Allan Border Field, Tremain knew instinctively it was time to step things up a notch.

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Dean Elgar, an opening batsman renowned for his patience and fight, had faced 134 deliveries for his 56, negotiating South Africa A out of a tricky position in the process and doubtless eyeing the close of play as a suitable point of refuge.

Holding a pink ball that was 47.1 overs old at the top of his mark, he stormed in to the crease and produced an away swinger that beat all but the left-hander's edge, flying through to an elated Sam Whiteman who held the simple chance.

In the context of this match, it was a massive wicket, breaking a 114-run stand that had proved the key resistance to an impressive showing all-round from Australia's seam attack.

That Tremain followed it up with the wicket of another Test player, Temba Bavuma, with what was ultimately the final ball of the day – his third wicket of the innings – made it all the sweeter.

"I haven't played too many games with the pink ball but I've picked up that you certainly need to have your gears," the Victorian told cricket.com.au after finishing with 3-51 in 14.5 overs.

"You need to know when to go hard, and when to hold, and when the big shadow makes its way across the pitch – that's a good time to go hard.

"The first 10 overs the pink ball swung around a bit and it was a nice contest between bat and ball … but once it did soften up and stop swinging, it was just about adapting and finding any sort of angle, any sort of movement, from the hand or off the wicket."

Tremain, an increasingly important part of Victoria's back-to-back winning Sheffield Shield side, is a canny bowler who enjoyed his finest summer to date last season, claiming 36 wickets at 21 in nine matches.

It put him fifth on the wicket-takers list and catapulted him into this 'A' side, where he has picked up from where he left off in the 2015-16 season – taking four wickets in the Shield final, his most recent first-class outing prior to this one.

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Against South Africa A today, he snared a wicket with his second ball and was constantly at the batsmen, scrambling the seam, approaching from wide of the crease, and generally experimenting with any point of difference that had the potential to garner him a wicket.

The tall right-armer, who turns 25 next week, believes volume of bowling has been the key to his recent improvements.

"Bowlers are like snowflakes – no two are the same," he said, offering the sort of profound statement that is likely to get him kicked out of any self-respecting fast-bowling cartel.

"Some people can get stronger and fitter and faster from being in the gym or doing a lot of running, whereas other bowlers just need to bowl over and over again.

"Over the last two seasons with Victoria I played seven (Shield matches) in the first season and nine last season, so I played enough first-class cricket to get a good base under my belt.

"When I was fresh to the scene, I probably went too hard, too early, and ran out of gas. So being able to pick the times to really go hard is pretty pivotal as well."

And while Tremain acknowledges the benefits of regular cricket, he also concedes a four-month lay-off can have its benefits.

The trick, he explained, is taking the positives from both.

"Being mentally fresh is important. I read up on Kane Williamson being mentally tired," he said, referring to an incident which saw the New Zealand captain sit out his first match for county side Yorkshire earlier this month.

"That was interesting to read about, knowing that people as good as him still need a mental break every now and then.

"But it's a tough one playing for Australia A as your first game of the season; you do feel like you're thrown in the deep end a little bit.

"We bowled 15 no-balls today, which is a product I think of only bowling 40 or 50 overs outside in the last month, and banging out rust – trying to work out rhythm, run-ups, and simple stuff like that.

"So there's just those little things that creep into your game that eventually throughout the season you start to bang out.

"But you play with the cards you're dealt."

If Tremain's performance today was reflective of him "banging out rust", it appears he has been dealt quite the hand.