Andrew Symonds' road to redemption will lift another gear tomorrow when he skippers Queensland for the first time.
The disciplined Australian all-rounder today received a surprise captaincy appointment to lead the Bulls against Indian Twenty20 franchise Kolkata Knight Riders.
The left-field decision ahead of new captain Chris Simpson sees Queensland doing its best to help present Symonds as a reformed character after he was overlooked for the four-Test tour of India due to his "gone-fishing" controversy in the Northern Territory.
Simpson will also play in the practice match at Brisbane's at Allan Border Field - the second of two bash-and-crash friendlies on the day - as will former Bulls captain Martin Love.
But Bulls coach Trevor Barsby said the decision was one of a few experiments as he used the practice games to trial different line-ups and scenarios.
Another is top-order batsman Greg Moller wicketkeeping in the opening encounter before regular gloveman Chris Hartley playing the second.
"If Chris Hartley wakes up ill on the morning of a game, we know that we have got Greg as an option, considering he was a keeper originally in his youth cricket days," Barsby said.
"The same would be if Chris Simpson was injured or unavailable for a game, these matches against the Knight Riders are a good chance for us to have Andrew Symonds test the water as captain and lead by example on the field.
Symonds has ticked all the boxes in his comeback to date, issuing a public apology for the Darwin debacle before swallowing his pride and hitting the Brisbane grade scene.
There's been speculation he's been pencilled in as a shadow player by Australian selectors for the Indian tour, so impressed they have been by his handling of the setback.
But Symonds did fail to set the world on fire in his provincial return yesterday and will want to showcase his talents better tomorrow.
He made just three in two bats (two and one) and returned figures of 0-8 (four overs) and 2-24 (three overs) as the two sides split the opening games in the six-match series.
Symonds' Australian one-day teammate James Hopes is being rested with a groin niggle but is expected to play in one of the final two matches on Thursday.
Veteran Bulls Love and Andy Bichel will make their first appearances in Queensland colours this season with Bichel playing as a middle-order batsman in the first game and Love opening the batting in the second.
Queensland Game 1: Ryan Broad, Clinton Perren, Aaron Nye, Nathan Reardon, Andrew Symonds, Chris Simpson (capt), Greg Moller, Andy Bichel, Ben Cutting, Chris Swan, Ben Laughlin, Scott Brant.
Game 2: Martin Love, Nathan Reardon, Lee Carseldine, Andrew Symonds (c), Nick Kruger, Chris Simpson, Glen Batticciotto, Chris Hartley, Nathan Rimmington, Grant Sullivan, Daniel Doran, Ben Laughlin.
