Vic bats cruise to ING win over SA

MELBOURNE, Dec 6 AAP - Victoria's batsmen dined out on South Australia's bowlers to cruise to a six-wicket win in the ING Cup cricket match at the MCG tonight.

The Victorian bats missed out on a bonus point but didn't miss anything short or wide as they punished the Redback bowlers to race past South Australia's 8-217 in 43.2 overs.

Jason Arnberger (79 from 98 balls) and Nick Jewell (53 from 67) also established themselves at the top of the innings, posting an opening stand of 117.

From there, Brad Hodge blasted a quick 48 and Matthew Elliott an unbeaten 22 to guide the Vics to 4-220 and a second ING win from four matches.

South Australian captain Darren Lehmann tried eight bowlers with limited success and, to emphasise their dominance, all four Victorians dismissed were caught on the boundary.

Arnberger's knock continued his outstanding Pura Cup form this summer and cemented his spot in the one-day team after his 53 in Victoria's eight-wicket loss to NSW on Sunday.

The right-hander punched the first seven boundaries of the Victorian innings and missed a great chance of a maiden limited-overs century when he holed out to deep square leg off Ben Johnson.

Like their Pura Cup loss against Victoria a fortnight ago, the Redbacks struggled with the bat early despite winning the toss.

They slumped to 3-67 until Lehmann led a late onslaught that yielded 47 runs off the last five overs.

Lehmann rescued the innings with an unbeaten 84 from 110 balls, but the Redbacks were struggling for runs once Jeff Vaughan (37) was run out from a Rob Cassell direct hit after a 66-run stand with his captain.

Lehmann steadied the innings - at one stage racking up 28 successive singles - before he and Graham Manou (17) hit out late.

Despite copping some heavy hitting, Victorian captain Shane Warne finished with 4-45 from his 10 overs.

Arnberger had found the transition from Pura Cup to one-day cricket a tough one.

"If you look at my record, it hasn't been too good and the last couple of years they've put me in as a pinch-hitter and it's not my game," he said.

"I'll go out and get 20 in 20 balls and get out.

"Whereas if you give me more scope to get myself in ... the longer I bat, the more easier it is to get the (strike-rate) up again."

Arnberger said Jason Gillespie's presence helped him focus on staying at the crease.

But he was disappointed at getting out with a century beckoning.

"There was a hundred there for me so I was disappointed in that respect. There's not many chances you get where they weren't really putting us under much pressure," he said.

Warne's return meant fellow Victorian legspinner Cameron White was omitted despite being among Australia's 30-man World Cup squad.

White has just next week's Prime Minister's XI match against England to push his name in the one-day arena before the squad is finalised.