I love getting in to bat as early as I can

I PUT my pads on and kept walking in front of coach Justin Langer last Saturday. We were playing Sri Lanka and with Aaron Finch and Steve Smith batting beautifully I couldn’t wait to get to the middle of The Oval.

I was ready five overs before JL tapped me on the shoulder. I’m always hoping he says “put the pads on” — I love getting in there as early as I can.

The cruisy thing for us is this World Cup we’ve got off to really good starts. If the top three get us off to a flyer, then we can make a decision on where I bat, and it’s up to me to carry that momentum on.

I’d obviously like to get a few more runs, but I’ve been playing more of an impact role and am happy that I’m contributing — and doing so at a rate that’s putting our team in a better position. The way I judge my game is how I leave the innings. When I walk off the ground is the team in a better position than when I started?

It doesn’t always come down to strike rate, though when the top order makes good starts, like they have been doing, it does.

The past couple of months I’ve been able to start my innings positively and give myself the opportunity to put pressure on the opposition. That allows me to get into my innings with a couple of singles and beat the field. The key is being busy and looking to hit a boundary every ball.

It doesn’t always need to be an aerial shot, but the way the fields are set these days they give you a pretty good idea of where they’re going to bowl. You’re generally taking a calculated risk, if you are taking one, early in your innings.

Excluding the West Indies game, where we suffered an early collapse, I’ve come in during the 35th, 37th, 29th and 43rd overs. Entering around the 35th over allows me to have a look for a couple of overs and then go.

I came in during the 29th over, which was earlier than we all thought, because Pakistan had part-time offspinners in Mohammad Hafeez and Shoiab Malik bowling. We thought that by sending in a right-hander we could make the most of those overs.

It seemed to work — I got 20 runs off my first eight balls — but unfortunately I got out as soon as one of the quicks came back on.

It was a little bit nerve-racking being relied on to bowl 10 overs against Sri Lanka, but I was really happy with the way the ball came out.

It took me back to 2015, when I was the sole spinner for the majority of the Cup, with Xavier Doherty playing one game.

We’ve got two world-class spinners on the bench, and while one of them could come in, it’s going to be a tough decision to leave one of the quicks out. They’re all firing at the moment.

I’ve been working hard on my stock ball control and my pace variations.

If Marcus Stoinis returns from a side strain it’ll affect the overs I bowl, which is perfect. It’s nice to have a chop-out and Stoin’s a great impact bowler for us.

He always seems to find a wicket and he changes momentum. If he is fit and free to play, that’s a formidable in.