Moises Henriques believes the selflessness shown by Sydney Sixers teammate Nic Maddinson in the first Test against Pakistan should guarantee his Australian place for the Boxing Day clash in Melbourne.
On the eve of this season's Big Bash League, which kicks off at a sold-out Spotless Stadium on Tuesday night with the Sydney derby between the reigning premiers Thunder and the Sixers, Henriques went in to bat for his long-time teammate who has failed in two Test matches and given the selectors plenty to ponder over the next week.
Maddinson scored one run in his first innings at the Gabba and managed just four from three balls in his second dig, mistiming a hook shot to fine leg when Australia was chasing quick runs.
"It was a very selfless thing to go out there and start trying to hook a ball off your nose from the third ball you face, but that's the type of player he is," Sixers captain Henriques said.
Ready for the new season: Moises Henriques will lead the Sydney Sixers against the Thunder on Tuesday night.Credit:Michele Mossop
"If anything, that'll almost solidify a spot in the team, not that he was a failure but the fact that he'll play with the team's best interests at heart all the time.
"He's got the world at his feet and if he just keeps trusting his skill and trusting how good he is, I'm sure a big score's just around the corner.
"He is very resilient, I often forget he's only 24, 25. All he needs is 10, 15, 20 balls out in the middle for him to just feel comfortable out in the centre and from there I'm sure he'll start to relax and then a big innings will start to unfold."
Maddinson is one of five Test players on the Sixers roster who will miss most of the BBL, alongside teammates Mitchell Starc, Jackson Bird, Nathan Lyon and Josh Hazlewood.
The Thunder by contrast have just one Australian Test player in Usman Khawaja, and have signed England one-day international captain Eoin Morgan for a third stint with the club to replace the retired Michael Hussey.
West Indian star Andre Russell is also back for another year, although he arrived in the country on Sunday with a potential ban from the Jamaican Anti-Doping Commission hanging over his head after failing to record his whereabouts to drug authorities on three occasions last year.
Russell has not tested positive to a drugs test, and a decision is on a potential maximum two-year sentence is expected midway through the BBL tournament.
"He flew in yesterday, went straight to a fan day and then to training and with no warm up, walked straight out and was bowling thunderbolts so that's pretty exciting for tomorrow night to have him and Pat Cummins charging in for us," Thunder captain Ben Rohrer said.
"He's a really cool, calm and collected guy and he's like that around training, just keeps everyone on that sort of level, which is exactly what you need in this sort of tournament.
"That's a big part of why their [West Indians'] skills are so good, because they are so chilled out on the field. The more relaxed you can be, and ice cold you can be on the field, the better chance you are of executing your skills.
"As soon as you get your adrenaline pumping that's when you can make poor decisions. Andre's definitely had that influence on us."
Russell is set to play on Tuesday night, but all-rounder Shane Watson misses out with a calf injury.
Henriques admitted Russell shaped as the danger man in the Sydney derby.
"I rate him as good as there is in T20 cricket," Henriques said.
"I don't necessarily think it's his bowling or his batting or one particular skill; the reason why he's so dangerous is because he's never out of the game whether it is with bat or ball or in the field, he's just adding value to their team all the time.
"Players like that are very rare. He'll save you five runs in the field, he'll come in and take a couple of wickets. He's got that pace to be an X-factor with the ball and he can hit the ball out of the park.
"You know the game's never over until he's out of the game because if he's involved in the game, they're still a chance of winning."
James Buckley writes on AFL for The Sydney Morning Herald.