The surrounds were more suburban at a lush Hurstville Oval on Friday as the Test fast bowler returned to competitive cricket for the first time since the Champions Trophy in the winter.

After months out of action with a foot injury there was understandable rust as he opened the bowling for NSW in the JLT Cup in chilly and overcast conditions that will have reminded the tall left-armer of his time with Australia and Yorkshire in the north of England. He sent down several full tosses in his first spell, including one wild one that beat Blues wicketkeeper Peter Nevill and sailed to the rope for four, before finding his range to finish with 1-55 from his 10 overs.

But this was merely a barrier trial at Warwick Farm for a group 1 thoroughbred with bigger things ahead in the city.

"(I) felt OK ... (there were a) few crappy overs in the first spell but I finished off OK," Starc said.

"I haven't played a game of cricket in about 16 to 17 weeks. It was my first game back besides a net session. Apart from the first spell I was pretty happy with it.

"The body got through it, the foot's OK, they're the positives. It's nice to playing cricket again for starters."

The 27-year-old's return came at the same venue at which he suffered a freak injury last year while training with the Australian squad. On that occasion he suffered a deep wound to his leg when he slid into the metal base of a set of stumps during a fielding drill.

There were no such problems on Friday, nor the troubles he encountered in the lead-up to the Champions Trophy, where he played despite not having fully recovered from the injury that prematurely ended his involvement in Australia's Test series in India.

"It was a much better resumption to play than it was before the Champions Trophy," Starc said. "I had about three to four weeks to get going and obviously the foot wasn't right. I've had ample time to let it heal and progress through my rehab and get back to bowling. I got through 10 overs perfectly fine today and no pain."

Starc's closing spell brought the wicket of one of South Australia's two centurions, Jake Wetherald (103 from 114 balls), who had inspired the Redbacks to a total of 6-346 alongside Alex Ross's 110 from 85. Ross was particularly brutal at a ground suited for big scoring, bludgeoning 32 runs off one Nathan Lyon (2-88) over with four sixes and two boundaries.

In reply, despite 105 from 104 balls from opener Daniel Hughes and Kurtis Patterson's 84 from 88, the Blues were all out for 301, 45 runs short of the South Australia total as former Test seamer Joe Mennie claimed 4-53.