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After losing Aaron Finch to a concussion, Victoria have moved to 2-110 at tea on day of the Sheffield Shield clash against NSW at the MCG.
Finch left the game shortly before lunch on Saturday, the Blues going on to post a first-innings total of 294.
He was fielding at short leg when he was struck on the helmet after Steve O’Keefe played a full-blooded shot off his pads.
The Australian T20 skipper remained on the field after he was medically cleared to continue but soon retired to the rooms and was officially subbed out of the match during the lunch break.
Finch had been slated to come in at No.5, with his place to be taken by Travis Dean, who was rushed to the ground from a club cricket match.
The loss of the star veteran is a significant setback for the Vics, with the clash against NSW evenly poised.
In his first innings since returning from a break to concentrate on his mental health, Nic Maddinson made 59 before he was dismissed by Sean Abbott shortly before tea.
Will Pucovski, himself returning from an absence to deal with mental health issues, is not out on 15 and will be joined by skipper Peter Handscomb when play resumes.
Earlier, half-centuries to Abbott and Peter Nevill helped the Blues to a first-innings total that appeared unlikely after they struck early trouble.
Having been sent in by Handscomb on Friday, the visitors slumped to 5-114 but Abbott and Nevill combined to guide their side to 6-223 at stumps on day one.
Their seventh-wicket partnership of 93 runs ended when Test quick James Pattinson removed Abbott for 54, with Nevill departing for 50 in the next over.
On a recast MCG wicket that’s showing more signs of life than it has in recent times, Peter Siddle and Pattinson were the pick of the bowlers.
Siddle finished with figures of 3-52 from 26 overs, including seven maidens, and Pattinson 3-62 from 28 (six maidens).
Opener Nick Larkin (50 from 116 balls) played an important innings after opening partner Daniel Hughes (1) and No.4 Moises Henriques (0) fell cheaply.
© AAP
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