Why was his wicketkeeping ability brushed aside in favour of a more energetic and aggressive option? Why, when the time came for change, was a player on the verge of retirement called in and eventually made Australian captain?

But Nevill prefers not to dwell on it. Instead, it fuels the fire for his bid to earn an Australian recall for next year's Ashes tour.

The 33-year-old has played 17 Tests but the path to number 18 is anything but clear - Nevill will have to unseat Australian captain Tim Paine if he is to force his way back into the XI.

If selectors are to overlook age and only deal in runs, catches and stumpings, then Nevill plans to get plenty of them.

He started by taking two stellar grabs and a stumping off Nathan Lyon's bowling in NSW's Sheffield Shield clash against Queensland at Manuka Oval on Saturday.

"Everything going well, I’d love to be on that tour," Nevill said.

"It’s up to me to perform really well for the rest of the season. The only thing that gets you on those tours is performance."

Alex Carey, whose shock call-up to the vice-captaincy role in limited overs cricket raised a few eyebrows, was named to take the gloves for Australia in their lone Twenty20 hitout against South Africa on the Gold Coast on Sunday, leaving both Nevill and Paine to play domestic cricket.

In the context of their Ashes hopes, Nevill holds a clear edge in first class experience when it comes to matches played - the Canberra clash is his 100th, and his batting average of 37 is well clear of Carey's (a tick over 27 through 27 games).

A baggy green and a canary yellow outfit don't go hand in hand - for proof look no further than Lyon, whose Test record doesn't warrant a start in limited overs cricket.

Instead, Lyon has joined Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood in Canberra for a four-day game as opposed to playing Twenty20s against the Proteas and India.

"There’s a lot of international cricket on these days and they’re missing an international Twenty20 series to be able to play Shield cricket, which is a fantastic thing," Nevill said.

"I think it will give them a great lead into a big Test series ahead with India here this summer and then Sri Lanka.

"Guys are getting dropped [from the NSW side] who don’t deserve to get dropped, but you’ve got to make way because you’ve got the strongest bowling attack of any state.

"It’s a good problem to have."

The inclusion of Australia's four-pronged bowling attack had many believing the Blues' would finally break a 10-match Shield losing streak in Canberra this week, but a relatively young squad struggled with the bat - with the exception of Moises Henriques, who played a lone hand with a stunning 152.

Taking charge of a young XI at a state that has for so long demanded success has been a challenge for Nevill, but one he is refusing to shy away from - and he has had some help from his former Test teammates around the nets.

"David Warner and Steve Smith have been around quite a lot at training," Nevill said.

"It’s been great to see them make themselves available and help out as much as they can, and try to help other guys improve. It’s been great to see that.

"Hopefully in years to come it will be a very strong side, it’s obviously a young side now, but the more experience these guys get, the stronger it’s going to be for a long time."