Kane Richardson is relieved to be back on the right side of national selection even if it forces him into the "bittersweet" position of missing the Melbourne Renegades' BBL title tilt.
The South Australian fast bowler will join up with Australia's T20 side ahead of next month's tri-series against England and New Zealand, ruling him out of a semi-final appearance if the Renegades qualify.
Richardson helped the franchise take a major step to making the finals with a standout bowling performance of 4-22 in Wednesday's victory over the Sydney Thunder in Canberra.
"It's always bittersweet and you want to be there in the finals, especially being a new club (for me)," Richardson said.
"If we make the finals, we haven't had a lot of success as a franchise, so it's a real big stepping stone for us."
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Richardson was asleep when Australian T20 selector Mark Waugh called him on Monday morning, but the 26-year-old was more than happy to find out via voicemail he was in the squad.
It went some of the way to quelling the disappointment surrounding his shock axing from the one-day international squad which was subsequently beaten in straight sets by England.
Richardson was overlooked despite strong performances in a losing cause during last year's ODI tour to India where he picked up seven wickets at an average of 22.57.
"I've been on the wrong side of Australian selection a few times so it's nice to be on the right side," Richardson said.
The Renegades will know whether they need to beat Brisbane to secure a semi-final berth by the time the two sides meet on Saturday, when Richardson is set to play his final match of the tournament.
