Dean 67 props up Victoria at MCG

Travis Dean's 67 was the most substantial innings for Victoria as New South Wales restricted the Bushrangers to a mediocre first innings on day one of the Sheffield Shield match at the MCG.

Resuming the Shield season after the Big Bash League hiatus, Dean's patient innings was his first appearance since last year other than a warm-up match against the touring Pakistan team, and he soaked up 182 balls after the Blues' captain Moises Henriques won the toss and chose to send the hosts in to bat.

The Dukes ball moved through the air for most of the day, challenging the techniques of the batsmen and encouraging the bowlers to try for conventional swing rather than reverting to shorter lengths or attempts to gain reverse bend. Harry Conway was a useful exponent of the method, claiming the wickets of Dean, Rob Quiney and Cameron White.

Dean's best support came from the pair of Bushrangers' debutants, as the teenager Will Pucovski and the former Tasmania allrounder Evan Gulbis both ensured the innings lasted until close to stumps. Nick Larkin and Daniel Hughes saw out one over from Scott Boland before the close.