Australia captain Ricky Ponting opened the Test series against the West Indies with an innings of 158 at Sabina Park on Thursday and declared himself delighted to be back in the long version of the game.
Ponting scored a century in his last Test appearance but that was back in January against India -- since then he has been focused on one-day and Twenty20 cricket in India and struggling to make scores.
"It's nice to know you have six hours to go out and build an innings. In (Twenty20) sometimes you have got six balls or six minutes," Ponting told a news conference after helping his team to 301 for four.
"The start of a Test summer for me is always exciting. Our last overseas Test was nearly two years ago, we haven't played a lot of Test cricket. I've been looking forward to putting on the whites again and the green baggy and spending some time in the middle. I got that today," he added.
"The last Test innings I had was a hundred but I struggled through the one-day series and never felt that comfortable and today felt comfortable again.
"I didn't feel like I did much wrong at all today to tell the truth, I've been working pretty hard at my game and felt really good in the nets going into the game, in the practice game last week felt some things coming back again."
Although Ponting was caught with just 11 minutes remaining in the day's play, his team are in a dominant position heading into the second day.
"Four down for 301 you would take at the end of the first day in any Test match," he said.
"The wicket is pretty good to bat on but as you saw at the end of the day there is a bit of variable bounce there. But I think we are in a really good position," he said.
The Sabina Park track is a far cry from the days when West Indian pace attacks would pepper touring teams on a lively surface but Ponting said the slower surface still required plenty of concentration.
"It was hard work, it was hot, when the hardness went out of the ball it was hard to score runs, I think all the batsmen had to work hard.
"But the new ball has been taken, we are four down with 301, hopefully we can build on that with the new ball tomorrow, with the guys to come hopefully we can really push on and make a big total.
"It's important that we don't let today's (work) slip tomorrow. It's about putting two good days together and then we will really be in the box seat," said Ponting.
