By removing the baggy green from front of mind, Cameron Bancroft has earned the right to put it on his head.
Bancroft will make his Test debut on Thursday for Australia, opening the batting against England at the Gabba.
It is something the 25-year-old has desperately wanted for as long as he can remember, especially after being picked for the Test tour of Bangladesh in 2015 before its cancellation for safety reasons.
Bancroft admits his pursuit of higher honours became all-consuming and affected his Sheffield Shield form.
"The fact I didn't really think that I'd be here," Bancroft said, when asked what changed and allowed him to produce consistent Shield runs at a crucial time.
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"That and playing for something bigger than a personal success that I'd certainly dwelled on and worried about in the past.
"That brought out the best in me.
"I can get a bit tense and try a bit too hard at times. It's something I've constantly got to be aware of."
Aside from a reputation for marathon innings, including an unbeaten 228 in his most-recent game for Western Australia, Bancroft boasts an incredible fitness base and work ethic.
The right-hander's rarest gift is how much he loves fielding at bat-pad, the customary position for the most-inexperienced member of the XI.
"There's probably no one really in the world who sits there and thinks 'I want to be really good at this' ... I worked really hard on it and set myself a goal to be really good in that position," Bancroft said.
"I have fun doing it."
The claim is genuine, according to former WA captain Adam Voges.
"Pretty much anybody who tells you that is normally lying but you can tell he really enjoys getting in there," Voges told AAP.
"He's fearless. He has no issues copping a few whacks to the body - it doesn't bother him at all.
"He's probably the best I've seen in there."
