An in-form Mitchell Johnson, free of national commitments, will play his first Sheffield Shield match in two years as he spearheads a strong Western Australian outfit against Tasmania.
The express paceman trained at Bellerive on Tuesday ahead of the Warriors' Shield season opener and coach Justin Langer said the left-armer, primed for Test selection, was a valuable weapon with recent five-wicket hauls in club cricket and in the domestic one-day cup series.
"It doesn't matter how great a player you are, you like to go in feeling good and having some results under your belt - Mitch is no different," Langer told reporters.
And when it comes to pace, Johnson is hitting his straps, the coach adds.
"We saw it on really slow wickets in Sydney in the one-dayers; he bowled really quick," Langer said.
"He's got a smile back on his face, he's loving playing and he's happy to be out of England, I would have thought, after the (crowd) abuse he got for two months.
"He's now smiling and, if he's smiling, he will bowl quick."
In a side which also boasts Adam Voges, Cameron Bancroft, and Mitch and Shaun Marsh, Langer is enjoying the rare availability of such depth of talent.
"We've got seven (players) who have played or who could play (Test cricket) and it changes the dynamic," he said.
National selectors on Friday will name their squad for the first Test against New Zealand from November 5 at the Gabba.
Despite beating WA in the recent one-day series, Tasmanian coach Dan Marsh concedes the Tigers face a battle against last season's finalists.
"We understand it's a big challenge against WA but I guess, coming off the Matador Cup victory against them ... we're keen to keep that going through the Shield season," Marsh said on Tuesday.
Tasmania's line-up carries its own strengths, including skipper George Bailey, James Faulkner, Xavier Doherty and Jackson Bird.
Teams:
TAS: George Bailey (capt), Alex Doolan, Jackson Bird, Xavier Doherty, Jake Doran, Ben Dunk, James Faulkner, Andrew Fekete, Evan Gulbis, Dominic Michael, Tim Paine, Sam Rainbird.
WA: Adam Voges (capt), Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Berendorff, Marcus Harris, Michael Hogan, Mitchell Johnson, Michael Klinger, Simon Mackin, Mitch Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Joel Paris, Sam Whiteman.
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