Friendly fire

A few bumps and bruises all part of the course

When I first came on the international scene I remember initially being a bit intimidated by the extra pace that I was not yet used to. Over a year on, I have now conquered this and feel there is no bowler in world cricket that worries me with pace. In fact often I find the quicker the better. I have always really enjoyed my battles with Shaun Tait because we both know we are going to as hard at each other as we can. It really gets the adrenalin pumping and I admit I am definitely a bit of thrill seeker.

However, there is still one place that can be frightening - a NSW net session in pre-season. We have started to move outdoors at training and with the practice wickets looking typically green at this time of year, batting is a real test. To make matters worse most bowlers bowl from in front of the front line, so not only is the ball moving and jumping in every direction, it is being sent down at a very lively pace. It is never nice to come forward to a ball and nearly get hit in the head but I try and do my best just to put it out of my mind and cop a few bruises.

There is no bowler in particular giving me grief but I will say that Josh Hazelwood and Mitchell Starc are looking particularly strong this year. Look out for big seasons from them.

Aside from the few knocks, at least I feel like I am hitting the ball pretty well and am building nicely towards the start of the season. My fitness is up and I am moving with a lot more freedom since I have been able to do some proper training and not have to fly around everywhere.

Next up on the pre-season agenda is a training camp in Maroochydore. For my international readers Maroochydore is in the centre of the Sunshine Coast in Queensland and should be a great place for a bit of a team bonding as well a couple of trial games to get used to the new split innings format in our domestic competition.

Last year artist Joanna Kitas asked me if she could do a portrait of me for the Archibald competition in Australia. I accepted the offer and although the painting didn’t make it to the final list, I reckon Jo did a pretty good job. I did have to meet up with her so she could take a few snaps and pose for a little while. It was one of those unique experiences that was a bit of fun.

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