Victoria will return to the CitiPower Centre for their first home Marsh Sheffield Shield match of the season and have named a squad of 13 to face Western Australia.
Victoria will return to the CitiPower Centre for their first home Marsh Sheffield Shield match of the season and have named a squad of 13 to face Western Australia.
Victoria were held to a draw at Karen Rolton Oval in their opening match after setting South Australia 425 to win in the fourth innings.
Ruwantha Kellapotha is in line for a Victorian debut after being named in Victoria’s Marsh Sheffield Shield squad for the first time.
The Sri Lankan-born leg spinner recently signed for the Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League as an overseas replacement player. Kellapotha has experience playing in Sri Lanka’s first-class competition, where he last played in 2013.
Kellapotha represented the Victorian Second XI in two matches last season, including facing NSW Country at the MCG.
Over the past decade, he has played club cricket in Melbourne – primarily in the Dandenong District Cricket Association.
Last summer, he made the jump to Premier Cricket with Casey-South Melbourne, claiming 46 wickets across First XI and Super Slam matches to be the competition’s leading wicket-taker.
Fast bowler Cameron McClure returns to the squad after impressing in his debut in Perth late last season.
Scott Boland will be rested for this match, while Jon Holland has sustained a low-grade calf strain and will continue to be assessed.
Cricket Victoria’s Head of Male Cricket, David Hussey said:
“We’re really excited to welcome Ruwantha into the Victorian set-up, he’s performed strongly in Victorian Premier Cricket and with the injury to Jon, we think he can make an impact straight away.
“Scott and Jon going out of the side will test our bowling stocks but it will also present an opportunity to players like Mitch Perry, Todd Murphy or Cam McClure to step up.
“We were really pleased with the way that our batting unit responded in Adelaide after losing early wickets in the first innings, Will Sutherland was able to steer the innings with the lower order and then Pete Handscomb showed his class in the second innings.”
Squad:
Peter Handscomb (c) (St Kilda)
Travis Dean (Footscray)
Sam Harper (Melbourne)
Marcus Harris (St Kilda)
Ruwantha Kellapotha (Casey-South Melbourne)
Nic Maddinson (St Kilda)
Cameron McClure (Essendon)
Todd Murphy (St Kilda)
Fergus O’Neill (Melbourne)
Mitch Perry (Richmond)
Will Pucovski (Melbourne)
Matt Short (Northcote)
Will Sutherland (Prahran)
Marsh Sheffield Shield
Victoria vs Western Australia
Oct 17-20, 10.30 AEST
CitiPower Centre, St Kilda
Coverage: Kayo Sports & cricket.com.au
