WELL the season is finally here and I can’t wait for us to get started at Hampshire tomorrow.

As you know I have spent the second half of this winter on tour with the England Lions squad in New Zealand before jetting off to the West Indies for the one-day series.

The two trips were great for me although I would have liked to have played a bigger part. But no-one has really nailed down the spinners slot in the England team and I’m going to be doing all that I can to make it mine — it isn’t going to be easy though.

Steven Davies was with me for both trips and it was a great winter for him too. He played really well in the Twenty20 game against the Windies and we all thought that he might have played the whole series, but it wasn’t to be.

I suppose the thing that got in Davo’s way was the fact that Andrew Strauss was the captain and he is an opener too.

We both really enjoyed working with everyone in the England set-up and we have got plenty of things to work on this summer.

Andy Flower was a real pleasure to work with and I would like to see him get the England job on a permanent basis.

When we got back from the Caribbean, the World Twenty20 30-man squad was announced and along with Davo and me it was great to see Kabir Ali’s name there too. His name is probably always bandied about in the selectors meetings — nice now to see it out in the public this way too.

The door is very much ajar for Kabby now and I hope that he can continue doing what he does for Worcestershire and also get that place in the England side that he so deserves.

We have just got back from playing Oxford UCCE in a three-day match and while there wasn’t too much cricket played on the opening two days, we had a really good time yesterday.

Daryl Mitchell struck a brilliant century and I believe this is the time for him to kick on from last season. Potentially, along with Stephen Moore, we have got the best opening partnership in the country.

Chris Whelan was another player to impress me. When the sun came out yesterday the wicket really flattened out, but Whelo was finding a good length and was hitting the deck hard.

The game at the Rose Bowl is one I believe that we can go and win. Both sides are without there overseas players but I believe that suits us better.

Division One cricket is the hardest domestic cricket in world — even the Aussies admit that.