In Adelaide in quarantine with his Victorian team-mates ahead of the start of the Sheffield Shield season, the Strathfieldsaye fast bowler has his sights set on making his first-class debut against New South Wales from October 22-25.

"I think I'm right in the mix,'' Crone said.

"Anyone in the squad over here that doesn't think they're in the mix is probably playing the game for the wrong reasons.

"I'm hungry and if I get that opportunity I'll give it everything I've got."

Crone is in a squad of 18 that is without Aaron Finch, Glenn Maxwell and James Pattinson because of Indian Premier League commitments.

Pattinson's absence on top of the off-season departures of quick bowlers Peter Siddle and Chris Tremain has opened the door for the next generation of Victorian pacemen.

"While a lot has been spoken about the losses we've had over pre-season, the guys we have waiting in the wings are young and hungry and keen to win games for Victoria,'' Crone said.

"That's what we want to achieve. Because we've had such amazing talent here the last few years we probably haven't had the opportunity to see what the younger guys have had to offer.

"Potentially, in other states these guys would have been getting opportunities."

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Crone has been working hard alongside the veteran of the Victorian attack, Scott Boland.

"He's always up for a chat and happy to share what he's learned, whether it's about how to prepare for a game or strategies on how to bowl certain batsmen,'' Crone said of Boland.

"He's a really knowledgeable guy with international experience and he's been great to run ideas off throughout the pre-season."

COVID-19 restrictions in Melbourne hindered Crone's pre-season, but he feels well prepared for a big summer of cricket.

"We were very fortunate that we were able to continue training at the Junction Oval,'' he said.

"We had some good weather so we were able to get some centre wicket work in as well.

"We had a week of centre wicket hit-outs and last week we had a three-day intra-squad game which gave the batsmen and bowlers some good time in the middle.

"At the end of the day we're professional cricketers, so we've got to be ready no matter what the situation is.

"We feel as though we're ready to go."

For now, Crone and his team-mates will continue the quarantine process before ramping up their preparation for the hub-style start to the season.

"We're pretty lucky that we have some nice rooms for our two-week period. It could be much worse, that's for sure,'' he said.

"Normally, we would have been playing by now, so when you have to spend some time not being able to play that itch just grows even more.

"I'm very keen to get out there and start playing."

Victorian squad for opening Sheffield Shield matches:

Peter Handscomb (Captain)

Scott Boland

Xavier Crone

Travis Dean

Zak Evans

Jake Fraser-McGurk

Seb Gotch

Sam Harper

Marcus Harris

Jon Holland

Nic Maddinson

Simon Mackin

Todd Murphy

Jono Merlo

Mitch Perry

Will Pucovski

Matt Short

Will Sutherland

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