Veteran Australia batsman Michael Klinger has said he cannot wait to make his debut for Australia in the upcoming series against Sri Lanka.
A consistent performer in Australia’s domestic circuit, the 36-year-old was looking destined to never play for the national team before a brilliant outing in the Big Bash League (BBL) forced the selectors to pick him in the squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka.
The opening batsman enjoyed a fruitful outing in the BBL and played a pivotal role in helping his team, Perth Scorchers to win their third title.
Speaking to the media ahead of the series, he said:
“Obviously it would be great to play tomorrow and I can’t wait.
“Super exciting….obviously to find out a couple of weeks ago (of being picked in the squad) and the first few phone calls speaking to the family. The way it’s worked out being in my hometown of Melbourne….I have a lot of family and friends around which will be great,” he added.
The veteran batsman further admitted he had lost all hope of playing Tests and ODIs for Australia as the selectors were keen to give the youngsters an extended run in the team.
“Probably in the last 12 months I was thinking that in the Test and One-Day (formats) it was unlikely,” he said.
“Obviously Cricket Australia have shown they are looking for young talent around…guys they have picked like (Peter) Handscomb and (Matt) Renshaw have done well. I never say never but am realistic. Cricket Australia are looking at a different direction in Tests.
“Maybe Twenty20 has helped me in a way because a lot of experienced guys have played well in the Big Bash and maybe that helped me get into this setup,” he added.
“There have been other times in the last seven, eight or nine years that I have been close and the timing has been out because other guys have been scoring runs.
“It’s tough because there needs to be a spot and there are a lot of players performing well. You take the good with the bad, this time the timing has worked well.”
Klinger would surely be disappointed to miss out on the chance to play for his national team during his prime years but he has now left that setback behind and is keen to enjoy the moment.
“Obviously there are some players unavailable at the moment over in India…hopefully I can perform well in this three-game series and see what happens after that,” he said.
“For now, I’m just going to enjoy this three-game series.
“The whole week is about enjoying it. I had throw downs from Ricky Ponting who I looked up to as a youngster,” he added.
With several first-team stars in India for the Test series, Klinger said there is still plenty at stake for his team and insisted his teammates will be giving their best to win the series.
“Everyone who gets an opportunity to play are going to be giving it their best shot,” he said.
“Every time I play, I am trying to be man-of-the-match which goes a long way to the team winning.
“We want to win the series and hopefully we start that tomorrow night,” he concluded.
The three-match series begins on February 17 in Melbourne.