For cricket purists watching traditional Sheffield Shield rivals Victoria host New South Wales, it was almost hard to believe Scott Boland walked off the MCG with just three wickets after a strong first outing following more than six months recovering knee and foot injuries.
Moreover, it was hard to fathom how the Gulidjan man did not capture three scalps in the third over – Boland's second – of a chaotic Blues' start to their second innings.
Former Victorian teammate Nic Maddison was the tortured victim for all bar one delivery.
The second ball of Boland's over pitched closer to off-stump than the first, moved in the air and had the left-hander nicking the ball to first slip.
However Maddinson survived as Boland was called for a no-ball after overstepping the mark.
The third ball cut back in and the fourth moved away, as Maddinson played and missed the consecutive deliveries.
The fifth dipped back in and found the edge through the slips cordon for a streaky boundary, while the sixth straightened with Maddinson's edge carrying through to the 'keeper to hand Boland his second wicket for the match.
Maddinson's dismissal lead to Australian Test veteran Steve Smith prodding away at the over's extra ball, surviving a loud LBW appeal with his bat and pad close together.
Despite modest match figures of 3-104, Boland's overall performance saw him stake his claim for an Australian Test recall ahead of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.
After the day's play, the 35-year-old suggested he will only improve as the summer progresses.
"Body feels really good," Boland said afterwards at the impromptu press conference on the MCG turf.
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"Happy with how the knee and foot are feeling…just (feeling) general soreness from being back bowling.
"As much as you try to in the nets, you can't replicate what you get in the middle.
"I just feel a bit rusty in my run-up and getting up to speed, but I feel like both my new-ball spells have been pretty good and then after that, I've got little things to work on.
"So yeah, first game of the season, first game in six months, I am pretty happy with how it's gone so far."
After terrorising Maddinson, Boland's following over had Smith adjudged LWB after the former Australian captain padded up without offering a shot.
Smith, who was out for a fourth-ball duck to add to his three in the first innings, walked off upset and shaking his head.
"I thought it was out," Boland said of Smith's dismissal.
"It only has to hit the stumps when you don't use your bat like that..."
His innings figures of 1-48 and 2-56 belied his worth to a Victorian team that won by 141 runs.
He also broke Test hopeful Sam Kontas's run of back-to-back centuries in NSW's first innings, picking up the 19-year-old's wicket LWB for just two off 10 balls.
"To get that (result), against a pretty strong NSW team, I am pretty happy with how we are going," Boland said.
