Still smarting from a record one-day loss to Victoria, Queensland won’t receive any respite against an even stronger Bushrangers outfit in their Sheffield Shield clash at the Gabba from Wednesday.
And Bulls batsman Peter Forrest wouldn’t have it any other way.
In what Queensland and Test quick Ryan Harris has dubbed “the match of the season”, defending champions the Bulls will line up against a Victorian squad bolstered by the return of internationals Cameron White, David Hussey, Clint McKay and Matt Wade.
It would be enough to send a shiver down Queensland’s spine after a depleted Victoria proved too good for the Bulls on Sunday, thrashing them by 190 runs in a record win that earned a rare double bonus point.
Forrest admitted the Bulls were still in shock after stand-in Bushrangers skipper Aaron Finch (154) and Rob Quiney (119) set up the result with a record 226-run opening stand.
But the former Australian one-day batsman said Queensland looked forward to using the heavyweight clash as a timely yardstick after naming an unchanged side following their 191-run Shield win over South Australia last week.
“It is exciting. It is good to get a strong team early in the season to see exactly where you are at – we are looking forward to it,” Forrest told AAP.
“The mood is fine (in the team). It was more shocking than anything else (on Sunday).
“It was a good wake-up call that we needed given our whole pre-season we have been going really well.
“I am glad it happened in game one rather than one where more was riding on it.
“We won’t read too much into it.”
Test quick Peter Siddle adds further mettle to an ominous looking Victorian squad still buzzing from their runaway one-day win at the Gabba.
Still shaking his head over the match in which “everything that could have gone wrong went wrong”, Forrest said the Bulls had no choice but to dust themselves off and re-focus against the quality Bushrangers outfit.
Forrest especially knows the power of positive thinking after reinventing himself in his first season for Queensland last summer and earning an international one-day call-up.
His quiet season start continued on Sunday night when he was caught behind off James Pattinson for a second-ball duck.
“I am hitting the ball well but just not getting runs. I have been working hard and I am sure things will turn around,” he said.
“Last year I could not have dreamed of what I achieved. It was a golden summer.
“But I am not putting any pressure on myself by trying to play for Australia again or anything like that – that kind of stuff takes care of itself if I am doing my job for Queensland.”
White takes over the captaincy of a Victorian side that will be without allrounders Andrew McDonald and Glenn Maxwell due to Champions League Twenty20 duty.
