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Once more in top form and fresh off a remarkable
season that saw him have a breakthrough IPL season, left-arm fast Jason
Behrendorff is hoping that his performance on slower fields will be appealing
to the national hierarchy when they are considering Australia’s T20 World Cup
team.
In the forthcoming T20I series against the West
Indies, which gets underway in Hobart on Friday, Behrendorff will be attempting
to strengthen his case for selection. Behrendorff, who is one of Australia’s
four quicks, is expected to play in two of the games, including the third one
at Optus Stadium, where he will make his debut for his country on his home
field.
“There’s probably going to be a bit of rotation
[with the quicks],” Behrendorff told reporters in Perth. “Anytime you
get to play cricket for Australia in a World Cup year… it’s a great
opportunity to put your name up. I’m really happy that I’m involved in the
squad. Hopefully, I can continue to play some good cricket.”
The 33-year-old Behrendorff has long been seen as a
desirable choice for Australia. Standing 6 feet 4 inches tall, Behrendorff can
swing the ball sharply and produces an ungainly bounce. Behrendorff’s back
problems forced him to concentrate on the shorter formats, but he was
previously thought of as Mitchell Johnson’s replacement for Tests.
Although he hasn’t participated in a first-class match
since late 2017, he has consistently excelled for Western Australia in the
50-over Marsh Cup and the BBL’s dominant Perth Scorchers.
“I’ve had a decent run at just playing cricket
and staying on the park, so I’ve been able to develop my game and just get that
consistency,” he said. “That was the thing with those injuries from
24 to 29, I played maybe six months out of every 12.
“Hopefully I can really tack that [years] onto
the back end of my career and play as much as I possibly can into my late
30s.”