Dan Christian plays most of his cricket in the sport’s biggest stadiums world-wide.

However, first impressions of Middlesex’s T20 new-boy are he is as far removed as you can get from the tag big-time Charlie.

The 31-year-old Australian all-rounder’s two current home grounds are Lord’s – where he made his Panthers’ debut in back-to-back T20 Blast defeats to Essex and Sussex on Saturday – and the MCG where he represents Victoria in Sheffield Shield competition down under.

Throw in stints with the Deccan Chargers and Royal Challengers Bangalore at the IPL in recent years and it would be easy for Christian not to view a trip to Old Merchant Taylors' School for Sunday’s clash with Hampshire as anything to get excited about.

However, he insists such is the intense level of the competition once the game starts surroundings – glamorous or not - play little part.

He said: “Very occasionally we play country games back home in the one-day tournament, but it is funny though as when you get into your game you tend to forget about where you are playing and the size of the crowd and stuff like that.

“All you are focusing on is trying to get the other bloke out, stop him from scoring or if you are batting trying to get that boundary.

“You walk out thinking this is fantastic or this is a bit quiet, but once the game starts you just zone out really.

“You play the odd club game with a couple of parents watching but the principle is exactly the same – it is just a game of cricket at the end of the day.”

Christian did not enjoy the best of starts on his Lord’s debut in the first game of Saturday’s T20 double header, making a first ball duck in Middlesex’s 180-5 and then failing to take a wicket as Essex chased down the total with seven balls to spare.

Things improved on a personal level in game two against Sussex as a beautiful ‘Yorker’ helped him to figures of 2-23 but despite his 14 runs at a run a ball Middlesex came up well short in their chase for 129 for victory leaving them with two defeats from two..

Christian though has played enough T20 to be philosophical over the poor start.

“We are a little bit disappointed, but there are good things we can take out of the day. We batted really well in the first game and bowled and fielded really well in the second, but unfortunately we could not get a whole performance together.

“There are lots of things we can draw on and there is a long way to go, so if we can get it altogether we will be hard to beat.

“Someone has to get a first ball duck and I have played T20 enough to know you can’t dwell on bad performances too much, you have to pick your heart up and start again.

“I got into the day and think I bowled a bit better in the second game – the Yorker came out alright and I felt I batted okay in the second game, it was just a case of not being able to get that boundary away.”

Asked if Middlesex should have batted first in the second match against the Sharks on a pitch which slowed up dramatically Christian added: “You would like to think you could chase 129 to win more often than not, so I think we did a pretty good job with the ball.

“We could not get that one partnership going at the start. They bowled really well in the power-play with Arafat and Jordan.

“If we had got one of their overs away for say 10 that changes the momentum of the game.”

Tickets for Sunday’s T20 which starts at 2.30pm are currently on sale priced adults £15, over 65s £10 and U16s £5.

For more details see www.middlesexccc.com

Prior to Sunday’s action, Middlesex play Gloucestershire at Bristol on Friday evening in their first T20 away trip of the competition.