Victoria will start its domestic season this weekend without a young paceman, Jake Reed, who it had expected to thrive in the imminent one-day competition.
Reed, 24, was forced to undergo knee surgery on Tuesday to repair meniscus damage. The expected recovery period of four to six weeks will sideline him from at least the Matador BBQs Cup and possibly the start of the Sheffield Shield.
"He was flying . . . he was on track and doing everything right. He was bowling at good pace with swing, everything that you want from a fast-bowler," captain Matthew Wade said of Reed, who debuted late last season.
"It's not the ideal scenario for us or him, but it's probably a little bit of a blessing to have him fresh and firing and ready to go when the red ball comes around."
Chief responsibility for leading the Bushangers' pace attack for matches in Brisbane against Queensland on Saturday, South Australia on Monday and Tasmania on Wednesday will go to Clint Mckay. The 31-year-old endured a torrid 2013-14 which included him losing not only his Australian one-day spot (inexplicable, given his record) but also his shield spot.
NSW recruit Chris Tremain will debut for Victoria in the matches. He could be joined by fellow fast-bowlers Jake Haberfield and Ryan Sidebottom, neither of whom has played limited-overs matches for the Bushrangers.
Glenn Maxwell and John Hastings are both unavailable due to Champions League commitments, while Aaron Finch and Peter Siddle will be with the Australian team in the UAE for the series against Pakistan.
SQUAD: Matthew Wade (c), Fawad Ahmed, Scott Boland, Daniel Christian, Jake Haberfield, Peter Handscomb, Jon Holland, David Hussey, Alex Keath, Clint Mckay, Rob Quiney, Ryan Sidebottom, Marcus Stoinis, Chris Tremain, Cameron White.
