A defiant knock from Glenn Maxwell wasn't nearly enough for Victoria to avoid a crushing nine-wicket Sheffield Shield defeat to Western Australia at the WACA Ground.
The Bushrangers were skittled for 186 in their second innings, with Maxwell (57) their only batsman to put up any real resistance.
It left WA needing just nine runs off 32 overs to secure victory, and they achieved it with ease despite the loss of Sam Whiteman for three.
The result leaves Victoria winless after two rounds, following on from their run-fest draw with South Australia earlier this month.
Victoria are winners of four of the past five Shield titles, and Maxwell wasn't too concerned about their slow start to the season.
"I'm sure the results are going to turn for us," Maxwell said.
"There's a reason why we've had so much success in this tournament over the past decade.
"It's disappointing to lose, but the way we played this game - it could have so easily gone the other way."
The Bushrangers were in all sorts of trouble early on Monday after slumping to 5-78; still needing a further 100 runs just to make WA bat again.
Maxwell's fighting knock that featured seven fours and a six helped stem the tide, with the blaster combining with Sam Harper (31) for an important 70-run stand.
But their departures sparked the end of Victoria's resistance.
Test aspirant Jhye Richardson (3-40) bowled with menace, while David Moody (3-57) and Marcus Stoinis (3-33) were also impressive.
Stand-in WA skipper Shaun Marsh was the hero for WA over the weekend, compiling a classy 214 off 436 balls to lift the Warriors to 9(dec)-519 in their first innings.
But the game would have been vastly different had Chris Tremain held onto a catch at gully when Marsh was still in single figures.
"We thought we were in the game, but if you drop a guy on one and he makes 200, it can change a game," Maxwell said.
"We had our opportunities, but ultimately a couple of 50-50 things went against us."
Australian Associated Press
