He always had the belief, but now Jason Behrendorff knows for sure - he has what it takes to match it with the best in the world.
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But the Canberra product still isn't expecting an Ashes call-up with Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Patrick Cummins ahead of him in Australian fast bowling's pecking order.
The left-arm quick looms as the perfect bowler to have on standby and he makes no secret of his desire to wear a baggy green.
Behrendorff needed just two spells in international cricket to show what he is capable of, claiming 4-21 in a man of the match performance during Australia's recent Twenty20 series against India.
He left a path of destruction fitting for someone being compared to professional wrestling star John Cena - and it's even earned him the nickname "John".
Behrendorff isn't expecting his phone to ring ahead of the Ashes with Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins primed to lead Australia into the first Test on November 23.
He could still be the next cab off the rank with James Pattinson already ruled out of the series after aggravating a lower back stress fracture.
"Those three, if they're all fit and firing like we expect them to be, they'll be the first picked and rightly so," Behrendorff said.
"For me, having that goal of playing international cricket again means that I'll be ready and waiting in the wings if something pops up.
"[The goal is] to be playing international cricket whenever I get that call, to be ready to go. That's something that I'm working towards and making sure I'm fully ready to go if that opportunity presents itself."
Nathan Coulter-Nile was the leading wicket-taker in Australia's one-day international series against India, while Jackson Bird and Chadd Sayers are also waiting in the wings.
But Behrendorff's left-arm swing looms as a trump card and he's desperate to get another taste of international cricket after a "strange" series.
Behrendorff laughed that while he is honoured to have played for his country, his debut series was an odd one - they barely squeezed in enough overs in game one and the decider was canned due to a wet outfield.
Behrendorff says receiving his first international cap from former Perth Scorchers teammate Brad Hogg was the highlight of a series he will "never forget".
"If they told me I was going to play again for Australia tomorrow, I'd jump at it," Behrendorff said.
"It was an unbelievable experience. I want to play as much international cricket as I possibly can. It's such a buzz and such a thrill, it's something I'll continue to aspire to play as much as I possibly can.
"I've always had that belief that I'm good enough, but then to perform and really cement that on the big stage, especially within myself [was a highlight].
"Something else that made it a really important mark for me is that I was able to perform my skills like I do back in domestic cricket. I took the new ball, I swung the new ball up front and I took some early wickets.
"That's what I've done reasonably consistently for WA so that's something that I'm really happy about as well."
Behrendorff will be in Perth when Western Australia look to secure a domestic one-day cup final berth against the Cricket Australia XI at North Sydney Oval on Tuesday.
He has earned a few days rest and he'll fly to Tasmania for the finals, leaving his teammates to deal with a North Sydney pitch that saw Victoria's clash with New South Wales called off early in farcical circumstances.
