New Zealander Lou Vincent has only been in this country a week, but Worcestershire's new overseas signing is already clearly right in step with the English cricket scene.
The Twenty20 Cup trumpets its now customary garish welcome when it takes over again today for another fortnight. And, as one of the expected stars of this year's competition, the cavalier Kiwi may have timed his arrival in this country to perfection.
Vincent knows he has some big shoes to fill while deputising for Phil Jaques for the next month. He is also aware that the Worcestershire batting line-up which takes on Glamorgan under the Sophia Gardens lights tonight (7.00) is not short on match-winners.
Graeme Hick's dazzling 116 not out at Luton against Northamptonshire two years ago remains the joint-highest score in the competition, while Ben Smith's 105 in last summer's meeting with Glamorgan makes him one of only four English batsmen to have reached three figures in the three seasons of Twenty20.
Captain Vikram Solanki, who has missed two of those three previous campaigns through injury and international calls, is another dangerous customer just itching to get started but a lot of eyes will be on Vincent tonight.
Having hit 83 at almost a run a ball on his Worcestershire debut in the Cheltenham & Gloucester Trophy on Sunday against Yorkshire, Vincent is now ready for the real crash-bang-wallop stuff.
And, with an international half-century in this form of cricket, for New Zealand against the West Indies earlier this year, the county's latest overseas signing cannot get wait to get started.
"I'm a big fan of Twenty20," said Vincent. "It's going to be exciting and I know Phil Jaques is disappointed to miss out on all the cavalier stuff.
"You get the numbers at the ground which is great for the players and the crowd really get into it and, although I'm disappointed that they've got rid of the spa at New Road, it sounds like they've some good marketing initiatives."
After finishing third in the Midlands/West/Wales Group in 2003, Worcestershire went one better a year later to qualify for the quarter-finals, where they were beaten by holders Surrey at The Oval.
But the competition came at a bad time last summer when Steve Rhodes had only just taken over as coach and the county were beset by injuries and international calls, meaning Worcestershire finished second-bottom in their group, winning just three of their eight games.
Now they go into tonight's contest on the crest of a wave, following the three successive County Championship wins that have shot them into the second promotion place in Division Two.
Vincent's debut on Sunday was not the only change to the team who clocked up a third consecutive Champion-ship win against Northamptonshire on Friday.
The other half of this summer's star international double act, Zaheer Khan, was given a well-earned rest, but Zaheer is back tonight and Smith is fit after an X-ray on the hand he hurt when he dropped his bat on Sunday.
The victory over Yorkshire showed that Rhodes' men are capable of beating any team at any form of cricket and, with Vincent one of three Worcestershire men making their Twenty20 debut - Steven Davies and Zaheer are the others - the mood is bubbling.
"Phil Jaques has been on fire but it does reflect the whole team culture if someone can come in and do well straightaway," said Vincent.
"I hadn't had a hit for twoand-a-half months before Sunday, so a little time in the middle helps. It's the only way to play yourself in and, given how everyone has gone out of their way to make me, my fiancee and my daughter feel really comfortable, it was nice to start in a meaningful way."
