Coulter-Nile opens up on international future

Nathan Coulter-Nile knows competition for spots will make extending his international career tough as he revealed he experienced lows off the ground during Australia's World Cup campaign this year. 

As he prepares for Western Australia's Marsh One-Day Cup final against Queensland at Allan Border Field on Tuesday, Coulter-Nile said he had enjoyed the freedom of focusing on state cricket.

The experienced paceman has a Cricket Australia contact and harbours ambitions to represent his country again, but he admitted time was running out.

Coulter-Nile played five games for Australia in the showpiece 50-over tournament, collecting four wickets, while he showcased his ability as a dangerous lower-order hitter with a whirlwind 92 from 60 balls against the West Indies.

He was replaced by WA teammate Jason Behrendorff for the back end of the tournament.

"I think I'm coming towards the end of my Australian career, definitely," Coulter-Nile said.

"They've even shown recently that they are going a bit younger, and so they should.

"Why would you pick another 32-year-old bloke when you can pick a young bloke probably looking forward to the next World Cup in four years?

"I understand that and good luck to them."

With Victoria trio Glenn Maxwell, Nic Maddinson and Will Pucovski stepping away from cricket in recent weeks to deal with their mental health, Coulter-Nile said he experienced his own struggles during the World Cup.

Promising young Australia and Melbourne Renegades allrounder Sophie Molineux has also opted to take a break, with Tasmania's Jordan Silk and NSW veteran Moises Henriques also making the brave decision to go public with their battles in recent years.

Coulter-Nile said he remained unsure if there were times during his career where he should have taken a break and praised those who had made the tough decision to step away.

"I went through a pretty bad stage, during the World Cup even," Coulter-Nile said.

"I was dealing with some stuff at home and it's a really big issue, mental health. It's really hard to speak up and those blokes who have, they deserve to be commended.

"Personally, I know I would never come out and say, 'Look, I'm not putting myself up for selection because right now it's not the best thing for me or the team.'

"The more people that do it, the more it will get understood and more people stand up and do it. I'm really proud of them."

Coulter-Nile, who has represented Australia 60 times in ODI and T20I matches, said the pressures associated with international level had the potential to impact players negatively.

"The selection and playing for Australia that comes with it, it's honestly mentally draining and physically draining," he said.

"Not saying I don't want to play for Australia – I do – but it's something I've probably put to the back of my mind. It's really freeing and liberating.

"You know if you perform well, you're going to get picked.

"But even then, when you feel like you're performing well and you're in the team and you get dropped, it's a rollercoaster that's sometimes really hard to get on.

"Hopefully I can ride it one more time, but it's not something I'm really thinking about."

WA have included Cameron Bancroft at the expense of Josh Inglis in their 13-man squad for the Marsh Cup finale.

Queensland have named a 14-man squad, with Michael Neser and Ben Cutting included.

The Usman Khawaja-led Bulls won by 26 runs when the pair met during the regular season.

"We've got a pretty good side," Coulter-Nile said.

"I don't see any reason why we shouldn't be confident. Nine of our 11 players have played international cricket, so why not?

"They (Queensland) have got a good bunch of players who have been playing together for a long time.

"Obviously Usman's a big wicket. If we can get him early, it will go a long way."