Bracken choice has Victoria stumped

There is never a lot of love lost between Victoria and New South Wales at the best of times, but Victoria's coach David Hookes and his captain Darren Berry are at a loss to understand why their left-armer Mathew Inness can't get considered for Australia ahead of Nathan Bracken from NSW.

The pair are the same age, 25 years, and are both left-arm fast bowlers. Inness has a better record: 178 wickets at 24.72 against Bracken's 80 at 30.45. Inness has twice taken 10 wickets in a match, while having six five-wicket bags, compared to one five-wicket bag by Bracken.

Inness hasn't even been selected for an Australia A side. Hookes told the Herald Sun in Melbourne: "As I've said many times, when they give out the baggy blue cap in NSW, they give you a baggy green in a brown paper bag as well to save making two presentations. I think Matty got very harshly treated when he was overlooked for the Australia A side last year, and I think he'd be a pretty disappointed bloke today."

Berry didn't want to comment on a selection issue but praised Inness's worth ethic and said he didn't have to comment, the statistics spoke for themselves.