Former Australian opening batsman Ed Cowan has signed with NSW in an effort to reignite his Test career.
Cowan has signed a one-year deal to play for the Blues in the 2015-16 season after leaving Tasmania two months ago to return home to Sydney due to family reasons.
The 32-year-old played the last of his 18 Tests in the 2013 Ashes series in England during which he was dropped after the first game.
With Chris Rogers having signalled his intentions to retire following this year's Ashes, a vacancy is due to open up in the Australian top order.
After quitting Tasmania, Cowan returned to Sydney without a contract but said he intended to use the opportunity to prove his worth to Australian selectors.
"You have to have ambition in this game to perform at a high level," he said.
"If you don't have that ambition you find yourself drifting. I still have a really strong desire to play Test cricket.
"There will probably be an opportunity for an opening batsman to put their hand up after the Ashes but first and foremost for me it's about scoring a lot of runs for NSW and enjoying my cricket."
Cowan scored 1001 runs at an average of 31.28 during his 18 Tests, including a century at the Gabba in Brisbane against South Africa in 2012.
He began his career at the Blues in 2005 before shifting to Hobart in 2009.
He is one of four players to be offered contracts with the Blues for the 2015-16 season along with off-spinner Will Somerville and opening batsman Nick Larkin and all-rounder Ben Dwarshuis.
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