HAMPSHIRE new boy Sean Ervine has confessed he has had to start "all over again" after his first taste of Australian domestic cricket turned into a nightmare.

The 22-year-old signed a two-year contract to play for Hampshire under the Kolpak ruling, starting in 2005.

The former Zimbabwean Test all-rounder also moved to Perth in the autumn and was signed by Western Australia as a result.

But Ervine, who played for Zimbabwe against South Africa in the Rose Bowl's debut one-day international in 2003, has yet to make his first team debut and has struggled for form in the 2nd XI.

Ervine is currently a pale shadow of the player who represented Zimbabwe so well in five Tests and 41 limited-overs internationals before announcing his retirement earlier this year due to the ugly dispute between the white Zimbabwe players and the Zimbabwe Cricket Union.

Worryingly for Hampshire, it is conceivable that Ervine could arrive at the Rose Bowl next spring with little, if any, state cricket experience under his belt.

"There is a giant gap in class between Australian and Zimbabwean first-class cricket," Ervine said.

"A lot of people are expecting a lot out of me, but I have to get used to the conditions.

"I have had to take a few steps back and start all over again.

"I have gone from playing international cricket to grade cricket but that is a step I have to take. At least I will value my spot."

Last October Ervine captured the prize wickets of then Australian captain Steve Waugh, Ricky Ponting, Justin Langer and Darren Lehmann, and also lashed a half-century in a Test match on the world's fastest pitch at the WACA in Perth.

However, the reality is that Ervine's current situation is no different to many overseas players who have found state cricket to be the most unforgiving domestic competition in the world.

The former Zimbabwe captain and 2002 Wisden cricketer of the year Andy Flower, who averaged 51.54 runs in 63 Tests, scored only 342 at 24.43 for South Australia last summer and didn't come back for the 2004/05 season.