Abbott takes two as Queensland make 268

New South Wales 1 for 17 trail Queensland 268 (Hopes 85, Burns 59, Starc 3-52) by 251
Scorecard

Sean Abbott returned to cricket at the SCG, bowling a bouncer in his first over and collecting two wickets as New South Wales dismissed Queensland for 268. Two weeks to the day after Phillip Hughes was struck by a bouncer bowled by Abbott at the same ground, cricket returned to some sense of normality around the country, with a Test match in Adelaide and three Sheffield Shield games.

The New South Wales players wore shirts emblazoned with PJH 707 as a tribute to Hughes, who was the 707th man to represent the state, and wore black armbands. When Abbott was introduced in the 13th over he was applauded by spectators and sent down a bouncer with his fifth ball, which the batsman Joe Burns ducked underneath.

Burns and Marnus Labuschagne put on 73 for the opening wicket before Labuschagne was caught off the offspin of William Somerville for 39, and Burns fell to Mitchell Starc for 59. Abbott's first wicket came when he bowled Nathan Reardon for 6 and in his next over he added another when Ben Cutting was caught behind for 3.

Queensland were in trouble at 6 for 132 but James Hopes and Chris Hartley rebuilt with a 105-run partnership that ended when Hartley fell to Somerville for 41. Starc added a third wicket, that of debutant Cameron Brimblecombe, and Hopes was then the last man out for 85 as the Bulls were dismissed in the 84th over.

New South Wales batted nine overs before stumps and reached 1 for 17, with Ryan Carters on 7 and nightwatchman Somerville on 8. The one wicket to fall was that of Nick Larkin, who was caught off Hopes for a duck.