Sutherland leads Vics' fightback with maiden ton

An off-season committed to improving his batting coupled with the example set by the red-hot form being exhibited by his younger sister were crucial factors in Will Sutherland's maiden first-class century that rescued Victoria in their Marsh Sheffield Shield season opener against South Australia.

Sutherland's 100 was not only the top score in his team's day one total of 9-264, he and opener Marcus Harris (85) were the only top-order players to pass 10 as the Redbacks dominated the first session and a half having opted to bowl first.

Elevated in the batting order to number seven with the departure of veteran quick James Pattinson ahead of the season, Sutherland went to the wicket midway through the day after the loss of wicketkeeper Sam Harper left Victoria 5-92 and on the brink.

Given his recent batting returns – his preceding eight Shield innings produced 57 runs at an average of just over 11 – Victoria's decision to play five specialist bowlers and omit reigning (joint) Shield player-of-the-year Travis Dean from their starting XI then looked decidedly questionable.

But the faith selectors placed in Sutherland's rediscovered batting prowess was repaid, and the additional work the young quick has put in with the willow over winter, was starkly evident as he initially played second fiddle to Harris and then became the centrepiece of his team's fightback.

"I've always worked hard on my batting, I take it very seriously but there was certainly a few things we looked at over the winter," Sutherland told cricket.com.au at day's end.

"I'm a tall lad, and I've always been conscious of trying to stand up tall against the short ball but some of the work we did was to get my hands a bit higher at the point of (bowler's) release.

"I'm always nervous before I bat, and today I was aware of the extra responsibility given the situation but the way Marcus Harris played, my role at the start was to just hang in and give him as much of the strike as possible."

If Sutherland was anxious before he took guard, he admits to being significantly more nervous when facing SA's quicks armed with a second new-ball in the gathering gloom when on 99, knowing his only previous hundred in representative cricket came against Sri Lanka in his under-19 days.

He was also expecting trial by bouncer, given the issues he had previously experienced against short-pitched bowling.

The 22-year-old was hit flush on the helmet before he had scored today, a blow he concedes "got his feet moving" and which his opponents were convinced had brushed his bat before ballooning to a fielder.

But when Harris fell immediately after tea, Sutherland imposed himself on the game.

In addition to extra work on his batting over winter, Sutherland acknowledges he's taken inspiration from his sister Annabel who is also regarded as a genuine allrounder but has produced a string of sizeable scores for Victoria in the WNCL this season including a hundred against SA at the very same venue last month.

"I see the work she does on her batting, and the number of balls she faces in the nets and it does provide inspiration," he said.

"I scored a hundred for (Premier Cricket Club) Prahran last season, where I bat at number four, so I have been serious about my batting.

"But I look at her and she's been amazing".

Sutherland's previous highest Shield score was an unbeaten 34 batting at nine against Tasmania at the MCG two seasons ago, but his 21 first-class matches prior to today had brought 301 runs at a tailender's average of 14.

Having begun his Shield career at number seven with a cameo at number six in his second season, before sliding down the list to as low as number 10 at the end of last summer after fellow seamer Mitch Perry was employed as nightwatchman.

After putting on 45 for the sixth wicket with Harris, Sutherland took on the senior batter's role alongside Fergus O'Neill in his first game, and then Perry with whom he added 36 in quick time as he opened his shoulders to put SA on the back foot.

The Redbacks had also fielded a four-man pace attack on a green-tinged pitch at Karen Rolton Oval, which Travis Head was keen to give them first crack at when he won the coin toss.

Among that quartet was ex-New South Wales recruit Harry Conway, who received his new red cap from former SA opening bowler Peter Gladigau before taking the brand new red ball for his new state.

It was very nearly a fairytale start for Conway who felt he had Will Pucovski lbw from the opening delivery of the match, but only had to wait a further three balls to claim his maiden Redbacks scalp when Pucovski edged behind.

Pucovski was undone by a peach that pitched full and shaped away late, and given his Shield season was less than an over old the Test-capped opener can be excused for appearing stuck on the crease as he pushed forward.

Head's willingness to bowl first and concerns within the Victoria camp that batting might be problematic on the new-season surface were both proved prescient soon after, when Victoria captain Peter Handscomb (10) was pinned in front by David Grant.

Nic Maddinson, freshly returned from the UK where his county stint with Durham culminated in an oversized-bat controversy, could have used some additional width on today's model as he edged consecutive balls from Wes Agar.

The first of those – delivered from around the wicket, compelling left-handed Maddinson to push speculatively forward – flew to the left of Henry Hunt at second slip who was unable to grasp the knee-high chance.

But the next landed on a near-identical length and took an even finer portion of the blade from where it nestled in the gloves of Alex Carey as Maddinson ruefully departed for four.

The Test keeper completed his third catch of the morning session when he snared Adelaide Strikers teammate Matt Short (5) on the cusp of lunch, at which time last year's Shield runners-up had lurched to 4-56.

"It was definitely a new-ball wicket, so to have them 4-60 was probably a big tick for our bowlers," SA quick Jordan Buckingham said after finishing with his team's best figures of 3-52.

"To let them get to 260 was a bit disappointing, although the day probably finished even.

"The ball got pretty soft around 40-over mark, and even though the second new-ball played up a bit I think it will be a nice wicket to bat on tomorrow, so hopefully we get that final one early tomorrow."

Harris had emerged from the lunch break intent on taking the game to SA's seamers, and it was Grant who felt the sting as the left-hander – who played the most recent of his 14 Tests at the SCG earlier this year before losing his place to Khawaja – peeled off five boundaries from consecutive overs.

Two of those came courtesy of sweetly timed cover drives, a couple more via flicks over or through the leg side and then a neat back-cut completed the set as Harris notched a half-century from 94 balls.

He also found an able ally in Sutherland, who initially provided sheet-anchor support but flourished into an array of strokes after Harris holed out to fine leg from the second ball after tea when attempting to once again begin a session by going after Grant.

Inspired by the batting exploits of his younger sister, whose stunning start to the season continued today with 68 for Victoria in their WNCL win over Tasmania, Sutherland reached his maiden first-class half-century with a quick single into the leg-side.

His seventh-wicket stand with debutant allrounder O'Neill (15) yielded 83 off 24 overs and lifted Victoria to a day one stumps score that had seemed unthinkable when they slumped to 6-137 upon Harris's dismissal immediately after tea.

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