Ferguson still eyes Australia return

Callum Ferguson is banking on his stunning run of form in England this year to give him a head start in the race for spots in Australian colours.

Ferguson dominated for county side Worcestershire during the winter, scoring 377 runs at 94.25 across five one-day games and blasted his first T20 century on his way to 390 runs at 48.75 and a strike rate of 141.81 in 10 matches.

And with Australia's one-day side fresh off a 5-0 hiding in England during the winter and their World Cup defence less than 12 months away, the 33-year-old South Australian is aiming to extend that form into this month's JLT One Day Cup.

"You hope that runs, wherever you get them, are going to count for something," Ferguson said on Friday.

"I'll be hoping to do a little bit more of that here at the Redbacks and certainly if I can keep putting runs on the board it's got to give me a chance.

"I'd like to think the door is still open (to national selection). The selectors told me, a little while ago now, that the door was not shut on an international career for me.

"At the Redbacks, everyone in the squad is striving to be playing in green and gold or the Baggy Green.

"I'll certainly be striving to do that and if you're playing in winning teams and winning trophies it puts your name up there."

Ferguson had once been set for a long career in Australia's one-day side; he scored five fifties in his first 25 ODIs in 2009 before he suffered a serious knee injury while fielding in that year's Champions Trophy final. He's played five ODIs since, the last of which was in 2011.

He also played one Test match in 2016, the infamous Hobart capitulation against South Africa in 2016 that signalled a generational change under Darren Lehmann's tenure.

The current upheaval in Australian cricket, with Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft all still banned and Australia's next Test engagement looming ever closer, has Ferguson among the masses lining up to stake a claim.

"There's lot of excitement around the Australian team, in the playing ranks anyway, because there are opportunities out there," Ferguson said.

"The door is open for guys to come in and make a mark. The (banned) guys will come back in at some point but there's an opportunity there to grab a hold of a spot.

"I'd like to think I'm still in the mix to get an opportunity at some point so I'll be trying to do the same."

Next month’s two-Test tour of the UAE to face Pakistan would seem a long shot given Ferguson's county stint did not include any first-class cricket, but if he can replicate that winter form for the Redbacks he could find himself facing the Proteas again in the white-ball matches that open the men's international summer in November.

"Getting to play so much high-level cricket in an English summer will leave me in good shape going into our summer," Ferguson said.

"It's as good a lead up to a season as we've had for a while.

"We've got another year's experience into what was known as young and talent line-up. It's now a talented, strong and experienced line-up.

"We go into the season with a lot of confidence, we think we're a well-rounded side in all formats and we'll be really confident going into this JLT Cup on the back of making the final last year. We want to go another step further this year, and we've got some match-winners across the board to do that."