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Faulkner not giving up on Test recall

Allrounder knows he must find some form to reclaim Test spot

James Faulkner remains desperate for a Test recall but knows his recent first-class form simply hasn't been good enough.

Faulkner, 25, was one of the first picked for Australia's ODI clash with New Zealand in Auckland and has been a mainstay in Australia's limited-overs sides since 2013.

The allrounder was named man of the match in last year's World Cup final, having kept Shane Watson and then Mitchell Marsh out of Australia's XI during the tournament.

Reproducing that form in the whites has proven easier said than done.

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Faulkner played the fifth match of the 2013 Ashes, a dead rubber at The Oval, but hasn't been sighted in the Baggy Green since.

At various points he has threatened to break into Australia's Test XI but never consistently enough to warrant a call-up.

"I've always said it's in my hands to perform when I get the opportunity," Faulkner said.

"Whether that's a red-ball game every now and then or that's two or three back to back for my state.

"I need to make every post a winner and I don't think this year I have.

"So I definitely need to improve that part of my game to get it where I need to be.

"I've got to get runs and wickets to get picked."

Toe and foot issues didn't help Faulkner in the four games he played for Tasmania in the first half of the 2015-16 Sheffield Shield season.

Before that, a drink-driving conviction in England made a poor impression on national selectors.