Harris steps up again to deliver triple treat

Serial JLT Sheffield Shield final century-maker Marcus Harris has one of the most enviable records in Australian domestic first-class finals history.

In three Sheffield Shield finals appearances, the Victorian opener has struck three centuries – one of them with Western Australia – and now averages 130.25 in the Australian red-ball showpiece game.

It's the sort of record that would make any first-class cricketer jealous, but Harris says there's no great secret behind his success of performing in the biggest games of the season.

"You always get yourself up for a final and knowing I've done well in previous finals gives me a bit more confidence coming into today," Harris said after striking 141 against the NSW Blues on the opening day of the 2018-19 season decider at Melbourne's Junction Oval.

"I'm not sure what it is but I'm fortunate to have three in a row.”

Harris hit 81 and an unbeaten 158 as a young Western Australia opener in the 2014-15 title decider played against the Vics at Hobart's Blundstone Arena.

Two summers later, wearing the blue Victorian helmet over his bleached blond hair, he hit 120 and 21 as they hosted South Australia in Alice Springs.

Both matches were drawn, both times Victoria lifted the Shield.

Harris claims there has been no change to his approach leading into the final, saying this week has been like any other on the cricket calendar.

"Exactly the same as I've done all summer," Harris said of his lead in to today's exhibition.

"We didn't get home from Adelaide until Sunday so we trained a couple of times and had pretty much the same build-up."

Harris conceded he had his share of luck on Thursday; he thought it was "lights out" early in his innings when he spooned one towards cover that just looped over the outstretched hand of a leaping Jack Edwards. While Edwards didn't get a hand on the ball, Nick Larkin did in the second session when he put down an edge offered by Harris when the opener was 71, before Trent Copeland also gave the left-hander a life on 121.

"Until you got in and felt comfortable it felt … not difficult ... but a bit of a grind," Harris said of the batting conditions on a day Victoria finished on 6-266.

"The good thing for us (is it) feels like there's plenty there, not so much with the spin but with the seamers, so that should be good with the four seamers (in our side)."

Victoria took a fast-bowling attack of Scott Boland, James Pattinson, Chris Tremain and Peter Siddle into the match as well as spinner Jon Holland, and Harris admitted he did feel extra responsibility as a senior batsmen in a bowling-heavy line-up.

"Knowing we'd come in with the extra bowler, knowing someone's going to have to make a decent enough score just to put us into a position to get maybe a decent first-innings total," Harris said of the expectations he carried out to bat.

"The wicket is probably not as flat as its been in the other games. Compared to other games, it's almost like you've made 400 in a day. But it's not that sort of wicket.

"If we can get to 300 or 320, that should be a decent sort of total.

"But you have in the back of your mind no matter what we make, we'll back our bowlers in to bowl them out.

"If you look at the trend of the Junction Oval games, it's been a pretty good batting wicket. So you back your top six to put enough runs on the board."

This Shield final is unique in that it is the first ever to be played with bonus points on offer, and in the event of a draw they will be used to determine a winner. After the 90 overs on the opening day of this five-day contest, Victoria have amassed 0.66 batting bonus points, to NSW's 0.6 for taking six wickets.

Despite just 10 overs remaining on Friday morning before the bonus points cut off for Victoria's first innings, Harris says swinging the willow for quick runs and quick points will be far from the mind of the remaining batters.

"The one message we did get was, 'Don't worry about the bonus points'," Harris said.

"I think with the way the wicket is, and a five-day game, I dare say there's going to be a result."