Australia's greatest pair of opening batsmen, Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer, have gone in to bat for discarded New South Wales batsman Phillip Hughes.
New South Wales captain Stuart Clark has been forced to withdraw from the Sheffield Shield match against Queensland starting on Friday with a back injury.
South Australia made good against Victoria while the sun shone, but rain and bad light prevented either side putting an early stamp on the crucial Sheffield Shield match at the MCG.