Victoria recall Pattinson to Shield squad
Australian paceman James Pattinson is on the verge of a comeback to first-class cricket.
Victoria named the quick in their squad for the must-win Sheffield Shield game against South Australia from Friday at the Adelaide Oval.
Pattinson last played at first-class level in the February 20-24 Test last year against New Zealand.
He has since battled back and shin injuries and has made a careful comeback.
A succession of injuries have restricted Pattinson to just 17 Tests since his December, 2011 debut.
When fit, he is a key member of the Australian pace attack.
Pattinson played five BBL games for the Melbourne Renegades and has starred in local premier cricket for Dandenong.
He has been named in the Prime Minister's XI for a T20 game against Sri Lanka in Canberra on February 15.
The Bushrangers will also regain Aaron Finch and Marcus Stoinis from the Australian one-day team.
While Victoria remain top of the Shield ladder, they suffered their first loss of the season last week against NSW and the Redbacks are second.
"We're thrilled to see James Pattinson back in the line-up after a long rehabilitation process over the winter, and I know he's raring to go with the red ball," said Victorian chairman of selectors Andrew Lynch.
"It's always nice to welcome back players from international duties, and Aaron and Marcus are no exception.
"Aaron brings back with him a tremendous amount of leadership, exemplified by his undertaking of the Australian captaincy while in New Zealand, while Marcus obviously showed his class at the top level with both bat and ball."
Lynch also noted that Finch scored a century in Victoria's last game against SA.
Emerging talent Will Pucovski was left out of the Victorian squad after he suffered concussion while fielding in the NSW match.
Victorian squad: Cameron White (capt), Scott Boland, Dan Christian, Travis Dean, Aaron Finch, Evan Gulbis, Sam Harper, Marcus Harris, Jon Holland, James Pattinson, Rob Quiney, Marcus Stoinis, Chris Tremain.
