AUSTRALIAN quick James Pattinson has been cleared to make his Melbourne Renegades debut at Etihad Stadium on Monday night.
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The Renegades unveiled his selection in a 13-man squad on Sunday, a day out from their first Big Bash League home game and clash with Brisbane Heat.
Pattinson has been sidelined with a stress fracture in his lower back that he sustained in the second Ashes Test at Lords in July.
His gradual comeback featured an appearance in Ballarat earlier this month as a batsman for Dandenong in a Victorian Premier Cricket Twenty20 Bush Bash triple-header.
Pattinson told The Courier then he hoped to be back bowling with the Renegades for a camp in Ballarat a week later but his return was then put on hold.
He said on Sunday that it now felt like a couple of years since he had played and he was keen to "let it rip".
"I've done a lot of work with my action and getting that right now, I can mentally and physically feel good and just go out there and try and bowl fast," Pattinson said.
"Fast swingers is the key out there in Twenty20 cricket."
Pattinson was keen to make an immediate impact for the Renegades, who lost their first two outings badly - but he said once captain Aaron Finch started to fire, the Renegades would be a completely different story.
Pattinson joined the Renegades after crossing from neighbouring rival Melbourne Stars in July.
Leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed has also been named in the Reneagades squad to play his first match of the season.
Englishman Jos Buttler will stay on to face Heat as the Renegades seek to find a replacement for all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez, who has been recalled to Pakistan's Test team.
SQUAD: Aaron Finch (C), Fawad Ahmed, Jos Buttler, Tom Cooper, Alex Doolan, Andrew Fekete, Muthiah Muralidaran, Peter Nevill, Aaron O'Brien, James Pattinson, Nathan Rimmington, Ben Rohrer, Will Sheridan