The irony is obvious to Ben Dunk. Unwanted by Darren Lehmann in Queensland two years ago the wicketkeeper-batsman took the road less travelled to national selection, but found himself very much back in the Australian coach's thoughts.
Only days after bludgeoning the first ever double century in domestic one-day cricket the 27-year-old is preparing to make his debut for Australia after being named in a 13-man squad missing Test players for three upcoming Twenty20 internationals against South Africa
Lehmann won't actually coach that team - NSW coach Trevor Bayliss will deputise for him because of a clash of dates with Australia's series against Pakistan - but as a member of the national selection panel he figured heavily in Dunk's call-up.
"It is a little bit ironic," Dunk said. "Obviously every coach has to make their opinions on players and he had to form a squad that he thought was going to take Queensland forward. I wasn't part of those plans and that is OK.
"That's the way professional sport is. Coaches, I guess, they live and die by their success and they have to make decisions and unfortunately I was on the wrong end of that decision. I think I'm a much better player now than I was then so hopefully he can form a different opinion."
There can be little doubt about that, with Dunk's rising short-form stocks coinciding with another sign of former Test 'keeper Matthew Wade's fall from prominence.
Dunk, last year's leading run-scorer in the Big Bash League, was adopted by the second-chance saloon of Tasmania after being shown the door in Queensland and with stints in the Indian Premier League, Caribbean Premier League and Champions League this year has emerged as one of the game's most promising guns for hire.
"I was delisted and at the time I felt that I still had a bit to offer as a cricketer and a few things I hadn't accomplished yet and Tasmania gave me that opportunity," he said.
"It's been a pretty long journey, and probably not the one that everyone would like to take, but I guess that makes it all the more rewarding."
The Australian squad for matches in Adelaide, Melbourne and at ANZ Stadium includes five NSW players - Shane Watson, Pat Cummins, Sean Abbott, Doug Bollinger and Nic Maddinson. With seven others in the UAE with Lehmann's Test squad, it leaves the Blues missing more than an XI missing for the first two games of the Sheffield Shield season.
The selection of Watson for the T20 series also deprives him of red-ball practice and with a one-day series against South Africa also ahead next month his lead-in to the home Test series against India is likely to now be limited to the single four-day match.
Selector Mark Waugh defended the ploy, saying Watson would be able to ease back into bowling with four overs per game in the T20 internationals.
"We still needed to pick some quality players that have played for Australia before and Shane, we know what he can do," Waugh said. "He's a world-class player when his fitness is right and he is bowling. Hopefully he gets a bit out of the three games with the four overs in each game."
Australian T20 squad: Aaron Finch (capt), Sean Abbott, Doug Bollinger, Cameron Boyce, Patrick Cummins, Ben Cutting, Ben Dunk (wk), James Faulkner* Nic Maddinson, Nathan Reardon, Kane Richardson, Shane Watson, Cameron White
*Faulkner selected subject to requirements on the VB Tour of UAE.
