Former Australian Test paceman Glenn McGrath says he’s happy with his fitness as he embarks on a heavy schedule before his first major cricket match in almost a year.

McGrath leaves for a 12-day training camp in India on Saturday in preparation for more than a month of Twenty20 matches in the Indian Premier League (IPL) matches.

However, the actual tournament has been shifted from India to South Africa due to security concerns.

Retiring from international cricket after the 2007 World Cup final, McGrath played in the initial IPL last year.

He now spends most of his time working with the McGrath Foundation breast cancer charity and raising his two children after losing his wife to the disease in last June.

But he said he was prepared for the upcoming schedule with the Delhi Daredevils.

“I’ve been pretty busy of late,” McGrath told reporters at a McGrath Foundation charity launch at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Friday.

“I head off tomorrow, heading to India first for a few days before heading over to South Africa, so it’s been a busy last few weeks but it’s all come together well.”

He said the IPL had changed the nature of world cricket.

“I think it probably has, hopefully for the better,” he said.

“As a player, it’s good to go over there.

“Twenty20 is quite a fast, exciting game and also I think the big selling point for me as well was that I get to play with guys that I don’t (normally) get to play with.

“And you get to see how they play, how they prepare.

“We become pretty good friends when we play against each other, but then we play with each other, it’s different again and that’s what I like about the IPL.”

He said he was happy with his form after a couple of charity matches.

“In the two games I’ve had, the bushfire appeal and Jason Gillespie’s testimonial match, I’ve come out okay,” he said.

“We’ve got a 12-day training camp before the first game so I’m hoping it’ll come back quite quickly, as long as I’m reasonably fit, the bowling usually comes back quite quickly.

“At the moment my fitness is pretty good and that will hopefully just increase that over the next few weeks.”

He said the maximum four overs per bowler rule was also appealing.

“Any more than four overs and I think I’d shy away from it.”

Source – news.smh.com.au