Australian fast bowler Jason Behrendorff making a Cricket ACT comeback

Now the Australian fast bowler is set to return to where it all began when he charges in against Eastlake at Kingston Oval on Saturday.

The match will mark Behrendorff's first Cricket ACT first grade appearance in 4725 days. His last appearance was a final in the summer of 2008-09.

He returns an internationally-capped quick. A Big Bash League champion. A new ball specialist looking for a tune-up before he tours Pakistan with the Australian team.

Needless to say there might be a few nervous Eastlake batters strapping up the pads come Saturday.

MORE SPORT

"When we knew we were going to come to Canberra, there was still the possibility we were going to play two more games for WA in terms of the white-ball stuff," Behrendorff said.

"I hit up Billy Floros who is now the president at Tuggeranong and said 'look mate, I'm in town for a couple of weeks and I'm needing to train and potentially play a game, how does that fit with you guys?'

"He was more than happy and excited to have me down to play some games. It's nice to get back home and get back to where it all began really.

"It's been a long time. I think the last time I would have trained there would be ballpark 12 years ago, something around that.

"Some things still haven't changed. The clubhouse is still the same, the nets are still the same.

"There's only a few guys that I either played with or were playing at the club when I was there so it's a different feeling with a lot of younger guys down there now."

But Behrendorff's Canberra comeback is about more than a chance to pull on a Vikings shirt for the first time since he left to join Western Australia as a wide-eyed 19-year-old.

It's about his family being able to hold his baby boy Levi for the first time. It's about young Harrison running around the backyard of the Behrendorff family home.

Opportunities like this have been few and far between for a cricketer playing against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. So when Behrendorff escaped bubble restrictions, he and his wife Juvelle jumped at the chance to visit Canberra and avoid hotel quarantine in Perth.

"Levi, who is 15 months, only met my family that socially-distanced time in December for the first time," Behrendorff said.

"Now he actually gets to interact with them and spend time with them. Harrison is at an age where he is as busy as anything, he's running around mum and dad's backyard, playing with water pistols and running amok."

Behrendorff might squeeze in one or two games in Canberra before returning to the domestic fold for Western Australia's one-day clash against Victoria on March 8. A win could send them to the 50-over final three days later.

Soon after that he will be on a flight to Pakistan to join Australia's limited overs squad for a landmark tour to a nation starved of international cricket.

"It'll be not too long after [the domestic one-day final] I'll swap my bags over, and head onto a plane and get out of here," Behrendorff said.

"It'll be really exciting. That's something all of Australian cricket is excited about. I know Uzzie [Usman Khawaja] in particular has mentioned how excited he is to get there.

"To bring cricket back to Pakistan from our point of view is huge. You can see how exciting things like the PSL have been with big crowds there, guys are having a great time. It'll be a good test against Pakistan because they're absolutely a top quality side."

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: