GLOUCESTERSHIRE’S Michael Klinger believes he can still make his Australia debut despite being 34 years old.
The county’s co-captain, who skippers alongside former England star Geraint Jones, has let his bat do the talking this year and mustered an outstanding run of form that has seen him average 76 runs an innings in six T20 Blast matches so far.
That includes a career best 126 not out against Essex and two unbeaten 104 knocks in successive days a fortnight ago. Add an excellent season in the Big Bash for Western Australia during the UK's winter and spring, highlighted by a 161 innings against New South Wales in March, plus 102 in his first LV= County Championship match for Gloucestershire, and Klinger should have Australia coach Darren Lehmann banging on his door.
Lehmann has been silent, but Melbourne-born Klinger, who played for the Australian Under-19 side and enjoyed an outstanding first season with Gloucestershire by scoring two thousand runs across all formats of the game, thinks he can earn a first Australia senior selection.
He said: “I feel that I am at a point where I am at my best in Twenty20 cricket and still getting better.
"With Australia here for the Ashes and the one-dayers and the Twenty20s, I would love to be involved with that.
“But there are a lot of good players (in the squad).
"If you look at the Ashes squad at the moment and, personally, there is nobody I deserve to be in front of.
"I think I would be very close, potentially, to be the next person in but that may not be the case now.
“The main thing for me was having a really good season back home in terms of  all three formats.
"There may be a possible Australian call-up at some stage and I still hold out hope.
“They have shown their hand at picking guys in form and are not dependent on their age.
"It may be (selection) in the short format if Test cricket does not come up, and in Twenty20 cricket, I have been able to upskill my game to perform well.”
Klinger’s two-year contract with Gloucestershire is due to expire this summer but the Australian is still in the dark about what is happening with that, having not talked with anyone about it yet.
He added: “Over the next three months, I just want to concentrate on my performances here and how those performances can help Gloucestershire win games.
"If I can do that well, opportunities may come down the track.”