Arendarcikas said the season he spent in England playing for Barton Town was a pivotal point in his A grade career, which lasted 25 years.

During his time in the north-east he faced a young Saeed Ajmal, who went on to star for Pakistan in all forms of the game.

"Saeed was bowling teams out for 70 and 80 every week but as the big, brash Australian, I was going 'he can't be much, he's just a spin bowler,'" said Arendarcikas.

"We went over to their home ground and he had his spinning fingers taped up, he had band aids all over them.

"I thought I'd just try something to put him off his game because we were about 5-10 and there was nothing to lose. I asked the umpire 'is that actually legal?'

"I couldn't understood what Saeed said because he said it in his native tongue but he wasn't happy.

"I thought 'he can't bounce me out or bowl a beamer' so I spent the next two overs just sticking my bat out there.

"He's the only bowler I've ever faced who could spin the ball big both ways.

"I managed to hit one boundary off him, which I was pretty happy with, but we got bowled out for 60 and were all in the bar before tea."

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Arendarcikas was Barton's first overseas player in 150 years but quickly won his new teammates over.

"It was really good for me personally on and off the field. It gave me a lot of confidence," he said.

"I didn't know a soul. There was no connection other than an enquiry on the internet, but within two weeks I had 40 friends for life.

"That's the beauty of sport because I don't know how else you could do that in any other walk of life.

"My girlfriend at the time, Karen, came over for the last half of it and we made some great friends.

"We had our wedding four years later and thought maybe one or two of those guys from the cricket club would turn up. We invited 12 or 13 and they all turned up and those friendships have lasted to this day."

Playing conditions took Arendarcikas out of his comfort zone, but the 42-year-old said it was the part he enjoyed because he wanted something different.

"I'd grown up playing in one competition here in Albury, but I found pretty quickly that I could actually spin the ball over there - in some instances too far," he said.

"On the seaming pitches, the bowlers weren't coming at your head all the time. I enjoyed playing off the back foot, which probably wasn't great in Albury but over there it suited my game.

"I came away with more runs than I expected and less wickets.

"It was fantastic and I look back fondly on those six months in England. It helped shape the rest of my life.

"I'd like to see more guys do it because it's a really good chance to swap notes and learn each other's craft.

"There can only be positives out of it, not just cricket-wise but culturally as well."

Arandarcikas stood down from first grade at the end of last summer due to a knee injury, his career boasting 5203 runs and 516 wickets.