Zampa proves red-ball credentials as Vics rolled again

Adam Zampa has made the perfect start to his one and only red-ball audition for spot on Australia's Test tour of India next year with three wickets on the opening day of NSW clash with Victoria in Melbourne.

Zampa displayed the exceptional control and accuracy he has become renowned for in the limited overs formats across his 18 overs on Thursday as the visitors skittled Victoria for 209 at the Junction Oval after winning the toss and electing to bowl first.

The Australia white-ball spinner, who is making a rare first-class appearance and his first since December 2019, had to wait until after lunch for his opportunity with the ball as the NSW quicks dominated the opening session.

Sean Abbott did the early damage with a peach that nipped back between bat and pad to dismiss Ashley Chandrasinghe for a duck and when the Vics' in-form skipper Peter Handscomb (18) edged Moises Henriques to slip the hosts had fallen to 4-61.

Off-spinner Chris Green (1-15), picked for a second straight match after claiming nine wickets during his first-class debut against Western Australia last week, was also introduced into the attack before Zampa and claimed the wicket of young gun Campbell Kellaway with a delicious delivery that ripped past the left-hander's bat and into the top of the off-stump.

But it didn't take long for Zampa to have an impact on the contest when introduced in the 39th over, claiming a wicket in his fifth as he bowled virtually 18 overs unchanged either side of the tea break.

He opened his tally with a delivery that turned on Will Sutherland (39) as he tried to work it through the leg side, with the leading-edge ballooning to Kurtis Patterson at slip.

He then set Sam Harper (39) up with two slower, flighted deliveries before spearing a quicker, flatter ball in at the stumps that rapped the Victorian wicketkeeper on the toe in front of the stumps.

His third was a mere formality as Sam Elliott (21) took the aggressive approach trying to dig Victoria out of another poor batting performance but was beaten in flight and could only offer a simple chance to Abbott at mid-wicket.

Zampa, who finished with 3-57, said after stumps he was excited to bowl with the red-ball for the first time in 1095 days.

"I just wanted to come and play well and play whatever role suits this game," he said.

"For me, it's about seeing whether or not I could get through the game.

"I've only played four over games, 10 over games in terms of spells the last few years so for me it was a test of fitness, test of body.

"I've got through the first innings, obviously we'll have a bit of work to do in the second.

"But I've always pushed the fact that I'd love to play Test cricket for Australia, there's a series in India coming up so I wanted to show that I was keen and if the opportunity is there, I'd love to take it."

Sean Abbott (4-56) cleaned up two of the final three wickets to finish with the best figures of the innings, but it was Zampa that Sutherland said post play that posed the biggest challenge.

"He was the pick of the bowlers for mine; very accurate and something different every ball," Sutherland said.

"Cross seam leggies, seam up leggies, wrong uns which I was struggling to pick as well at times, so (I was) very impressed with his work and hopefully he gets a chance over in India."

Both sides opted for two spinners in what is becoming a familiar team set up at the Junction Oval with emerging off-spinner Todd Murphy returning for Victoria after an impressive performance for the Prime Minister's XI against the West Indies last week.

Victoria will be buoyed by the wickets of both NSW openers in the final session of the day with Fergus O'Neill (1-18) removing Daniel Hughes for 34 and Sutherland finding the edge of Patterson's bat on seven, whose move to the top of the order in their last match is yet to come to fruition.

Jason Sangha (15no) and Henriques (5no), who brought up 6000 first-class runs, will resume day two on Friday with NSW 2-61, trailing Victoria by 148 runs with eight first innings wickets remaining in what shapes as a crucial 96 overs for both sides as they look to avoid entering the KFC BBL break still winless in the Marsh Sheffield Shield.