A member of Australia's three national squads, Nathan Coulter-Nile has potentially the biggest few months of his career coming up
IPL lessons, Baggy Green dreams
Nathan Coulter-Nile says he is bowling well, feeling fit, and ready to implement the knowledge learned from an Indian legend as he prepares to head to the Caribbean for next month's ODI tri-series against West Indies and South Africa.
Fresh from a four-match Indian Premier League experience with Delhi Daredevils, Coulter-Nile now joins Australia's squad for the ODI tournament in the Caribbean before returning to the Test squad for the July tour of Sri Lanka.
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And in Caribbean conditions that nowadays more closely resemble the flat, turning tracks of the subcontinent than those in his own backyard, Coulter-Nile could well find conditions to his liking after soaking up some valuable lessons from champion quick and Daredevils teammate Zaheer Khan.
"We have team meetings where we pick each other's brains and I've definitely sought his advice for white-ball stuff – I didn't really have much time to think about Test cricket because I got the call the day I was leaving, but I would've if I'd got the opportunity," Coulter-Nile said of Zaheer, who took more than 600 international wickets through a 14-year career at the top.
"He was very helpful. I wish I'd had him two years ago so I could talk through different plans and ideas about subcontinental fields and stuff like that.
"It's completely different to the Australian way of thinking. It would've been nice before going into the (T20) World Cup, but that's not the way it panned out.
"Hopefully I can find a bit of form with the white ball (in the West Indies) and take that with me to Sri Lanka."
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Coulter-Nile's most recent Test call-up came ahead of Boxing Day last summer against the Windies, but the 28-year-old injured his shoulder in the lead-up while fielding for Perth Scorchers in the KFC Big Bash.
It continued a bad injury run that Coulter-Nile believes put paid to the best bowling form of his career.
"Two summers ago when I did play a good bit of first-class cricket, I felt like I bowled really well. I might not have got the rewards that I would have liked, but I felt it was probably the best I've bowled," he explained.
"Even in the shorter form at the moment, I feel like I'm bowling quite well, I just have to stay on the park for an extended period of time."
And with Australian cricket blessed with many a fast-bowling option, Coulter-Nile, who has played just one first-class match in the past 12 months, is keenly aware that the National Selection Panel can only be so patient.
"I'm happy they've got that faith in me, but obviously that doesn't last forever," he said. "At some stage you have to provide a reason for why you're getting picked.
"I'm feeling as good as I can be. I'm fit and ready to go. But bowling 50 overs in the heat (of Sri Lanka) is a little bit different to bowling eight overs in the nets day in and day out."
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With the IPL behind him, and a possible crack at final earning a Baggy Green in front of him, Coulter-Nile could do worse than to cross the format divide with an ODI series in the Caribbean.
"I don't really see the IPL as a stepping stone to Test cricket," he said. "It's almost less than ideal playing that much T20 cricket before a red-ball tournament. It's a lighter load so you've really got to train hard because you're not getting that repetition in; they're not the loads you want going into Test cricket.
"Obviously you get match practice which is valuable, and it's still good to play in those conditions if you're then going on a subcontinental Test tour. I'm sure those sorts of things are looked at by the selectors."
As for whether or not Sri Lanka will be the country in which he earns that Test debut, Coulter-Nile is philosophical – but hopeful.
"It'll depend on conditions. They've gone with quite an interesting line-up with two allrounders and two spinners, so it's going to be interesting to see who they pick and what attack 'Smithy' wants.
"But if I get an opportunity I'll be excited and delighted, and hopefully get my family over there to have a look."