Ashton Agar's interest in clay and grass will ramp up to a whole new level over the coming days as he nervously awaits his Test fate.
Agar will fly to Sydney on Friday to link up with the Australian squad ahead of the fourth Test against India at the SCG, starting on Tuesday.
With Nathan Lyon guaranteed to retain his spot in the Test team, Agar's hope of earning a recall lies in the state of the pitch.
If a spin-friendly deck is on offer, selectors might be swayed to go with a twin-spin attack and Agar has his fingers crossed.
"Nothing's guaranteed. That's what I'm saying in my head," Agar said.
"I'm just going to try my very best to bowl well in the nets and from there it's pretty much up to the wicket."
Agar tuned up for his possible Test return with the key wicket of Jacques Kallis in Thursday's Twenty20 loss to the Sydney Thunder.
The 21-year-old finished with 1-26 from three overs, before scoring an unbeaten 31 to underline his all-round value.
Kallis was the hero for the Thunder, the 39-year-old overcoming an early injury scare to post 70 off 49 balls before snaring two crucial wickets.
The South African all-rounder thought he had tweaked his right hamstring early during his innings but he was able to play out the match and was optimistic the injury wasn't serious.
"I think it's actually from the other night when I dived and hurt my back," Kallis said.
"I think it's all a bit of referral rather than an injured hammy."
Kallis expects to play in Wednesday's home clash with the Hobart Hurricanes as the Thunder aim to snare their third win of the season.
Paceman Pat Cummins will be hoping for a better display after he bowled five wides on the way to 0-39 against the Scorchers.
Kallis said the 21-year-old's stats didn't reflect his performance and he is confident Cummins will soon wreak havoc for the Thunder.
"He's a magnificent talent. When he gets it right and bowls quick, he's one of the best around because he swings it as well," Kallis said.
"When he gets it on song, he's difficult to get it away and he can blow a top order away."
All-rounder Andrew McDonald is set to miss the rest of the Big Bash League due to a hamstring injury, while star recruit Eoin Morgan's four-match stint is over due to international duties with England.
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