A captain’s knock by Matthew Wade might have been a hard act to follow, but returning Test quick James Pattinson did his best to steal the show on Saturday at the Gabba.

Wade’s career-high 152 lifted Victoria to 260 before Pattinson (2-22) helped reduce Queensland to 4-66 by stumps on day one of their Sheffield Shield clash.

Pattinson is returning to first-class cricket from a back injury suffered during Australia’s Test tour of South Africa in March.

And it took just two balls for the fiery quick to strike, having debutant Charlie Hemphrey caught behind for a duck by that man Wade.

Pattinson and Wade also combined to dismiss the dangerman, Test batsman Joe Burns (4) as the Bulls were left reeling at 3-7.

Wade helped himself to three catches as Pattinson bowled with venom on a bouncy Gabba deck in an encouraging sign before June’s two-Test tour of the West Indies.

It was hard to keep the pair out of the action after the Bushrangers won the toss.

After one-off Test seamer Peter George (5-78) helped reduce Victoria to 7-126, Wade combined with Pattinson (31) to salvage the innings in an 85-run stand.

It seemed only something special was going to break the Wade-Pattinson stand – and George delivered.

In bizarre scenes, George dropped a return catch from Wade on 106, only for the ball to ricochet off the paceman’s hands and onto the stumps at the non-striker’s end to run out Pattinson.

“I would have preferred to have Wade caught-and-bowled but that was the best result possible from a dropped catch,” George laughed.

Wade then came out swinging, dominating a 49-run, 39-ball 10th-wicket stand with Fawad Ahmed who contributed just two.

Wade eclipsed his previous first-class best of 119 by thrashing 23 fours and two sixes in a superb 173-ball knock.

He is focusing on the Shield ladder-leading Bushrangers after missing out on Australia’s 15-man World Cup squad despite featuring throughout the 4-1 ODI series win over South Africa in late 2014.