IT’s great to be back and to start with a good win against a very strong Essex team – the boys should be really proud, writes Michaal Klinger.

On a personal level, to get a career best T20 score (126*) was a nice way to start. I certainly got a bit of luck with a few dropped catches and being out off a no ball, but thankfully I made the most of it.

I felt we batted well, bowled well and took some great catches, particularly Denty at the end. I think we outfielded them and that was one of the big differences between the teams.

I only arrived three days before the match and I’ve been waking up at 3.30am which might have contributed to my cramp in the field.

I went straight from the airport to the ground where we were playing Kent, and then caught up with the boys afterwards. It’s a different look this year with a few of the senior guys gone, but the boys have been doing really well from all reports and hopefully we can continue that.

The time difference in Perth isn’t too bad so I have been able to follow the team’s progress.

I took six weeks off at the end of our season back home to freshen up mentally and physically after seven years of going back and forward between Australia and England and a few Aussie A tours. It was nice to have that break and I am now looking forward to going again.

I had a great first season in Perth after moving from South Australia. We won two out of our three competitions – the One-Day and Big Bash - and narrowly missed out in the Sheffield Shield, so to be part of winning teams was unbelievable. I was really pleased with how the season panned out and I am looking forward to trying to bring some of that form over here.

The good thing is having been captain here for the last two years I know the guys really well, and I know their strengths and weaknesses. It is great to be back with the boys and I love playing at Bristol with the great support we get, so I really enjoyed it on Sunday.

We had a decent crowd but there were still a few empty seats. It’s a great day out, we love playing in front of a big crowd so hopefully we can get more people to come down.