I WAS with Leicestershire for only three weeks but it was probably three of the best weeks of my life and culminated in that game against Australia.

The game was a few days before the first Test of the Ashes series at Lord's and I've heard it said that it was maybe my duty as an Australian not to give them a hard time but I didn't look at it like that.

I was relatively new to first-class cricket and had done OK but probably still had a few doubts personally whether I was in the class of a few of these guys.

When the opportunity came to play against them I was hugely nervous but I got a few text messages before the game from people saying they thought something special was going to happen and it was weird how it did.

I got 56 in the first innings and got out to a Brett Lee slower ball but he bowled like the absolute wind before then – some of the quickest stuff I ever faced.

I remember I pulled away from one ball because a fielder was still moving and Lee followed all the way through to me.

I said 'I'm sorry' and he said 'you will be because I'm going to kill you' and the next ball was probably the quickest ball I ever saw. It nearly ripped my face off.

I survived and I was pretty happy to get a 50 against Australia.

We batted very early on the third day in our second innings and I think they thought they were going to knock us over and settle down to watch one of the golf Majors on the bus on the way down to London.

Lee bowled like the wind again for about four overs and then kind of relaxed to save something in the tank. The other guys, Mike Kasprowicz and Jason Gillespie, were probably not bowling their best but I was happy with the way I was playing.

I was on 97 and hit one wide of Ricky Ponting that I thought he was going to get but he missed it and the ball went for four. That was one of the best feelings I have ever had in my life.

The Aussies kind of chided me and suggested perhaps it was time to get out – in a friendly kind of way – and I thought why not? I was pretty satisfied, so I swung hard at the next couple of balls.

I got caught behind off a no-ball from Gillespie but I kept swinging and when I got to about 120 I thought 'this is pretty good. I'm almost trying to get out and I'm not' and that never happens, so I decided I might just keep going.

I played really positively, the wicket was flat and everything fell into place. It probably felt better to get to 100 but to get to 200 was hugely satisfying.

The bowlers were getting a bit frustrated, certainly, and I did hear the story that Matty Hayden was supposed to have said to me I was letting my country down but I was disappointed when I heard that.

I did mention in the press conference Hayden said 'come on Bucky, it's time to get out' but it was all good-natured and all the Aussies were fantastic to me after the game.

I celebrated it well that night – against the wishes of the coach – even though we had a Twenty20 quarter-final the next day. It's pretty hard not to celebrate after getting 209 against Australia.

To be respected by that quality of guys that you look up to and to have guys like Ponting actually know who I am was great but more important was what it meant to me and the confidence it has given me since then.

That's what made it so special.