DIMITRI Mascarenhas once hit five sixes in an over for England.
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The explosive all-rounder will bring his big hitting to the south-west on Saturday as part of the Victorian Premier Cricket Bush Bash initiative.
Mascarenhas, 36, will line up for Prahran in two Twenty20 fixtures in Warrnambool and Port Fairy.
Essendon, Footscray-Edgewater and Geelong cricket clubs will also compete, with four games scheduled.
Prahran also boasts former Australian spinner Bryce McGain, while it’s doubtful Australian all-rounder David Hussey will be available due to Victorian Bushrangers’ commitments.
Mascarenhas said he was excited to be part of the Bush Bash.
“The boys have said how fun it is,” he said.
“You get different people coming to watch and it’s good to grow the game in country towns and get them involved.
“We are coming up against two pretty good teams. I haven’t played either of them but the lads said they’re good teams.
“Conditions are a bit different for all of us so that’s a challenge in itself.”
Cricket has taken Mascarenhas all over the world.
The English-born talent spent most of his childhood in Australia before returning to the United Kingdom at 18.
Mascarenhas spent 18 years playing county cricket, captaining Hampshire, before retiring at the end of last season.
He played 20 one-day internationals and 14 Twenty20 matches for England between 2007 and 2009.
In an ODI match for England he hit five sixes in an over off Indian bowler Yuvraj Singh.
Mascarenhas, who played in Melbourne the past three summers, moved from Big Bash T20 club Melbourne Stars in the off-season and will line-up for Hobart Hurricanes.
He will fly to Tasmania on Monday to prepare for the national domestic T20 competition.
“Hobart offered me an assistant coaching role and that’s somewhere I want to go after I finish cricket,” Mascarenhas said.
“It’s a great stepping stone.”
Prahran coach Andrew Walton said he embraced the Bush Bash concept.
“I come from Mooroopna so you don’t have to convince me too hard to get up to the country,” he said.
“(It’s good to) show a bit more about what we do and I do like the idea of a number of teams coming to the area instead of just having one game.”
Warrnambool and District Cricket Association’s round three division one matches are on Sunday.