Australia batsman and Twenty20 captain George Bailey is targeting a place on next year’s Ashes tour and hopes to press his claims in the current one-day series in England.
While Australia find themselves 2-0 down in the five-match series, Bailey has been one of the team’s better performers, contributing 29 at Lord’s and top scoring at The Oval with 65.
He hopes to push on to even better things, for the team and himself, at Edgbaston on Wednesday and games at Durham and Old Trafford.
There is a lot of cricket ahead before Australia attempts to regain the urn.
But Bailey, 29, is already a strong candidate for a middle-order position, or a reserve spot at worst.
Much depends on whether Australia’s highest-ever scorer Ricky Ponting and fellow veteran Mike Hussey can keep churning out the runs. Both will be 38 by the time of the Ashes.
Bailey’s place in the Australia A squad that plays two matches against the England Lions next month will allow him another opportunity to impress the selectors.
“I think I can be a part of that line-up if there’s a spot there,” Bailey told reporters from the team’s hotel in Birmingham.
“When Test spots have come up over the last few years it’s been a matter of being in the right place at the right time and I don’t think this would be any different.
“I pushed really hard to be on that A tour. There’s a lot of other cricket on around it and after it but it’s something I feel is really important.
“I just don’t feel this is a time to be missing any form of red-ball cricket.
“Any time you can score runs on this stage is going to be real important.”
But Bailey sensed one-day fixtures could also be a factor in Ashes selection.
“Proving that you can handle the pressure of international cricket and handle different situations, there’s no doubt it’s transferable,” he said.
“But I think to back that up you are going to have to be scoring some long-form runs as well.”