When Daniel Sams was dumped from New Zealand club side Canterbury due to the arrival of controversial Englishman Ben Stokes, he didn't realise it would lead to the biggest break of his cricketing career.
Sams on Tuesday night put his name on the map with a four-wicket performance in his Big Bash League debut for the Sydney Sixers.
His 4-14 haul in the Sixers' loss to the Sydney Thunder was the culmination of a rollercoaster month-and-a-half for the allrounder and is a step in the right direction in getting a fulltime contract with NSW.
Amazingly, Sams didn't even sign a contract with the Sixers until a day before his debut after previously being attached to the Sydney Thunder through their academy system.
The Randwick-Petersham club cricketer was overlooked for a spot in the Thunder's main squad and was offered a run for Canterbury in the New Zealand club provincial competition.
He enjoyed a stellar spell in his first taste of first-class cricket, taking 11 wickets in three matches, including a 4-55 against Auckland last month.
However his spot in the Canterbury XI dried up when Stokes, who was suspended from the England squad for the Ashes following an assault on a night out, arrived for a short stint with the club.
"He did take my spot and rightly so," Sams said.
"He's one of the better allrounders in the world."
Rather than kick stones, Sams put the experience under his belt and returned to Australia with renewed confidence after showing promising signs in his short NZ stay.
Any disappointment he was harbouring was quickly washed away when the Sixers came knocking seeking an injury replacement for Henry Thornton.
"I was originally with the Thunder through their academy and I missed out on a spot with them, that's just the way it goes," he said.
"The next day the Sixers gave me a call, they had some injuries and needed a replacement player, it was unreal.
"As (Stokes' arrival in Canterbury) all happened, this all happened, so I was kind of thinking 'hopefully I can't go to New Zealand because I'm in the Big Bash'.
"Any experience over there was a blessing in disguise."
Sams couldn't have asked for a better BBL debut and has emboldened him to push for a Blues Sheffield Shield debut in the near future.
"It makes me hungry for more, I came back very confident in my game," he said.
"Being over there (in New Zealand) and having some success over there in first-class cricket, I left thinking 'okay, my plans and the way I play works, I can just stick to that'."
