IT'S that time of year again when Twenty20 Cup cricket gets going and following the announcement of the Champions League it will be taken more serious than ever.

When it first started it was seen as a competition where you could go and have a bit of fun - but it's a different story now.

As a bowler you can be on a hiding to nothing - you can be hit to all corners of the ground, but on the flip side there is a certain amount of pressure on the batsmen as they are expected to hit fours and sixes every ball.

Our first match is against Gloucestershire on Thursday (5.30pm) which is being televised and that brings with it being wired up to the commentary box for sound.

Speaking to the commentators during the game isn't a problem, but it's the weight of the pack that you have to wear that is.

It weighs a ton and when you're a bowler it's not the best thing to have on and with the weather the way it has been over the past couple of days you don't want that added weight.

I have worn it a few times and I'll probably have to wear it again on Thursday, but I won't be sorry if it doesn't come my way.

Steve Magoffin and Simon Jones will get their first real taste of this form of the game. Mags has only played one match of Twenty20 cricket while Jonesy hasn't played any. But they are quality bowlers and I'm sure that they will be able to adapt to it.

Tomorrow we face New Zealand in a 50-over match and I think that it'll be a nice warm-up against a quality side for the Twenty20 Cup.

The game at Derbyshire last week was quite surreal. We make no excuse for the way we played - no-one is hiding, we just weren't good enough.

To be bowled out in a session was unbelievable.

We were back in yesterday and we had a good chat about what happened and we have tried to put a few things right.

Derbyshire are a side that we should be looking to do a lot better against - but you have to give them credit for how they performed.

We don't play a Championship game now for three weeks so we haven't got the chance to put it right straight away. But that can also be a good thing as you can go through the thought process about what happened.

National selector Geoff Miller was at Chesterfield on Saturday and he got to see Jonesy take another five-wicket haul.

Simon is bowling as we all know he can and he is fit and strong. Only he will know whether his body is ready for the rigours of Test cricket.

But it if was down to me I'd have him in the England squad.

The selectors will have to talk about Simon when they come to pick the next squad."