Former Test batsman and Western Australian coach Justin Langer believes it's only a matter of time before exciting fast bowler Jason Behrendorff is called up to the Australian team.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Canberra product showcased his enormous potential with an impressive performance in his return to his home town, capturing two key wickets on the second day of the Sheffield Shield match against NSW at Manuka Oval on Wednesday.
Behrendorff (2-37 from 16 overs) trapped Peter Nevill leg before wicket with a vicious in-swinger before enticing a catch out of Sean Abbott to improve his tally to 33 first-class wickets for the season at an average of 22.64.
The 23-year-old left-armer burst on to the scene in last season's Big Bash League with the Perth Scorchers and is coming off another strong campaign in the Twenty20 format.
He has added an extra yard of pace this season, but it is his ability to swing the ball that makes him a dangerous proposition, especially for right-handed batsmen.
Langer, in his second season coaching WA, said Behrendorff had shown vast improvement.
"He's been outstanding - he must be knocking on the door for higher honours at some point, whether it's Australia A or in the Australian side in shorter-form cricket,'' Langer said.
"When I first got there there was talk that maybe he wasn't so sure about his body and he was a bit nervous about getting on the park, but you can't get the ball out of his hand now.
"He's getting more resilient, he's getting stronger physically, which has added some pace, and any left-armer that can swing the ball is dangerous. He's got a very bright future.''
Behrendorff represented the ACT at under-17 and under-19 level and was selected in the PM's XI team to take on New Zealand in 2009 before moving to WA for the 2009-10 season.
He has steadily worked his way up through WA's development system and is now arguably its leading fast bowler.
NSW batsman Kurtis Patterson got through Behrendorff's spell with a gritty innings, making 44 as the second-leading run-scorer for NSW behind Steve Smith.
Patterson was wary of Behrendorff's swing and deliberately saw him off before trying to score from the other end.
"He's been good Jason, he got me out both times in the last shield game so I was a bit watchful,'' Patterson said.
"He's a very good bowler, he's come a long way in the last couple of years and he's certainly got a lot of ability going forward.''
