Cowan's 134* hands New South Wales the lead

Ed Cowan's 23rd first-class century gave New South Wales a healthy lead at stumps on the second day against Victoria at the MCG, where the Blues finished at 4 for 300. Replying to Victoria's first-day score of 258, New South Wales had a 42-run advantage at stumps and plenty of opportunity to extend that lead further yet, with Cowan at the crease on 134 and Peter Nevill on 18.

Victoria's new-ball bowlers, Jake Reed and Scott Boland, dismissed the New South Wales openers Daniel Hughes and Nick Larkin within the first 10 overs of the innings. But Cowan, batting at No. 3, settled in for a series of partnerships that frustrated the Victorians, first a 141-run combination with Kurtis Patterson, who made 61.

Moises Henriques then put on a 92-run stand with Cowan which ended when Henriques was lbw to Reed for 51, and by the close of play the Cowan-Nevill partnership had reached 50. It was Cowan's first hundred at first-class level since October 2015, ending a drought of 23 innings without reaching triple-figures.