Western Australia 109 for 4 (Short 39) beat Victoria 107 (Behrendorff 3-14, Tye 3-14) by six wickets

In reply, WA raced to victory with a whopping 158 balls to spare, giving them a bonus point and a perfect 3-0 start to their title defence. The Marsh Cup ladder-leaders have now won 12 straight matches in the 50-over competition and again loom as the team to beat having won the last two titles convincingly and three of the last four overall.

Sam Whiteman (38 not out off 51 balls) and D’Arcy Short (39 off 39) made light work of the run chase in an easy win for the hosts.

WA captain Ashton Turner’s decision to bowl first proved a masterstroke as Victoria crashed to 22 for 3. Richardson, playing for the first time since hamstring surgery last summer, got the ball rolling with the early scalps of Sam Harper and Campbell Kellaway.

But it was Behrendorff’s spell that truly ripped the heart out of Victoria’s batting line-up. Behrendorff trapped opener Tom Rogers lbw before having Jonathan Merlo caught at gully. The 33-year-old then produced the ball of the innings to knock over Peter Handscomb for 7. Handscomb simply had no answer as Behrendorff’s delivery swung back sharply to crash into the top of leg stump, leaving Victoria reeling at 45 for 5.

Richardson, who has been plagued by shoulder and soft tissue injuries in recent years, is aiming to produce a strong summer in order to work his way back into the international arena. His performance on Monday was an important first step, though it remains to be seen when WA will unleash him in red-ball cricket.