Magoffin raring to go

Western Australia's leading pace bowler Steve Magoffin was delighted to run out in the Sheffield Shield team on Monday against South Australia after not featuring in any limited overs cricket for the Warriors this summer.

Magoffin was coming off a 2008/09 season that saw him claim 38 wickets and score 381 runs in the Sheffield Shield but he didn't perform quite as well in the Ford Ranger Cup or KFC Twenty20 Big Bash and has found himself out of favour in those competitions this season.

That meant his last game for WA was the Sheffield Shield win in Adelaide before Christmas, so he was more than happy to be back in action and made a solid 42 to help the Warriors post 284 against the Redbacks on Monday. He is now looking forward to some long bowling spells on Day two.

"I was pretty keen this morning. I've been on the sidelines for a little while now sitting back and watching and even sitting at home watching the guys on the tele," Magoffin said.

"I have basically felt as though I've done a whole pre-season again in preparation for this game and I am keen to get back out there tomorrow (Tuesday) and contribute with the ball."

As recently as last week, Warriors coach Tom Moody has said publicly that Magoffin has not been playing the Twenty20 or Ford Ranger Cup games to preserve his body for Shield cricket but that isn’t the way Magoffin sees it and he is desperate to play all forms of the game.

"That hasn't really been said to me as a reason for why I'm not in the team at the moment. I guess at times that becomes a little bit of a bonus from not being in the team but I didn't start in the one-day team this season after not having a great season last year," he said.

"It was disappointing to not be in the team but I'm working hard on my game and have had to work hard over the Christmas period to do what I could to feature in Twenty20. That didn't happen but hopefully it does in the future and I've played all three forms of the game the last four or five years and haven't had too many injury issues, so hopefully I can do that again."

While this Sheffield Shield game is currently Magoffin's focus, he is still hopeful of breaking into the one-day team to play Tasmania next Wednesday and is doing all he can to show that he's up to playing in all formats.

"At times I am (frustrated) and I think I've still got a lot to offer in the shorter form of the game," he said.

"At the moment I'm not in the team, so I need to do what's required and necessary to force my way back into it. I know that if I do that I can contribute and I'd like to think that I've got a lot of games of one-day cricket still ahead of me for WA."