Ben Hilfenhaus, called up as a replacement for injured fast bowler Shaun Tait for next month's World Twenty20 Cup, says his next goal is to earn a permanent place on the Australian cricket team.
The Tasmanian right-hand paceman got the call from selectors on Monday when Tait was ruled out of the South African tournament with an elbow injury.
Last season the 24-year-old won the Ricky Ponting Medal as Tasmania's player of the year and the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year award.
Hilfenhaus took 60 wickets during his first-class season and was instrumental in Tasmania's first Sheffield Shield title, with seven wickets in the final against New South Wales.
Now that he has made an Australian touring team, he said his next step is to cement a permanent place in the national side.
"You've got to give the selectors a reason to keep you," Hilfenhaus said yesterday.
"It is just about doing the best you can and putting performances on the board," he said.
Hilfenhaus has been in the selectors' sights as a future Test bowler for some time.
His ability to swing the ball away from right-handers make him an ideal counterfoil for right-armers Brett Lee and Stuart Clark and left-armers Nathan Bracken and Mitchell Johnson.
He has spent the offseason working on his core strength and refining his action under national fast bowling coach Troy Cooley.
"I spent most of last year at the Centre of Excellence with him and went up for a couple of weeks just recently and spent some time working on some technical things," Hilfenhaus said.
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