Yeoval product and former Western Zone quick Chris Tremain is every chance of becoming an Australian representative after being named in the ODI squad to tour South Africa on Monday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The absence of Mitchell Strac and Josh Hazelwood paved the way for Tremain’s selection in the squad, which leaves to play six one-day matches later this month.
Tremain was chosen alongside fellow unheralded fast bowlers Joe Mennie and Daniel Worrall, with those three finishing among the top five spots on the list of wicket-takers in last year’s Sheffield Shield while they also performed well for Australia A during the ongoing tour in Queensland.
Mennie and Worrall formed a key component of South Australia’s run to the final in last year’s edition of the Matador BBQs One-Day Cup and could once again team up with rising star Adam Zampa during the ODI tour, whereas Tremain couldn’t force his way into a Victorian Bushrangers one-day line-up boasting the likes of Pattinson, John Hastings, Scott Boland and Dan Christian in the attack.
The seamer, who switched to the Bushrangers from his home state of NSW after failing to make the Blues side, instead pressed his claims with 36 wickets for the Sheffield Shield champions, followed by a tournament-high 13 wickets at an average of 15.3 – including two five-wicket hauls – for Australia A in the one-day format in recent weeks.
"Chris, Joe and Daniel all had terrific summers last year and have also impressed us during the recent Australia A series with consistent performances,” National Selector Rod Marsh said after the squad was named.
"They are young players with a bright future who thoroughly deserve their selection and we look forward to seeing them work with John Hastings and Scott Boland, who have both performed well for Australia since returning from injury."
Tremain’s efforts against India A were nothing short of stunning, with his ability to swing the ball at pace making him tremendously difficult to deal with.
When speaking after one of his five-wicket performances against India A, the former Macquarie Valley junior said he wasn’t taking any of his success for granted.
“That’s the thing with these pre-season tours, you’re going into these things with zero base after the off-season. It’s very easy to go the other way,” Tremain said.
“All this sort of stuff ebbs and flows and even after bowling well for a little while you can go back to struggling pretty quickly if you’re not careful.
“In that respect I’ll just keep working hard on the areas I need to improve on during the rest of this series, hopefully stay among the wickets and hit the ground running in the summer.”
Australia’s fixtures in South Africa
September 27 vs Ireland, Willowmoore Park
September 30 vs South Africa, SuperSport Park
October 2 vs South Africa, New Wanderers Stadium
October 5 vs South Africa, Kingsmead
October 9 vs South Africa, St. George’s Park
October 12 vs South Africa, Newlands