Sydney Thunder captain Michael Hussey provided Gurinder Sandhu with reason to fire up in a World Cup summer by suggesting the fast bowler had to be in contention to play for Australia's one-day team.
"He really enjoys this format," Hussey said before Saturday night's match against the Sydney Sixers. "He's a highly skilled bowler, so when you're losing control of the match it's nice to throw the ball to him.
"Gurinder knows exactly where to go, he sets great fields and has great plans in his head. There's motivation for him, too, if he continues to play well for NSW and the Thunder I'm sure he'll find his name is being bandied about for the Australian one-day team."
Sydney Sixers pace bowler Brett Lee said he was pleased to see Sandhu increasing his pace after he was clocked at 143 km/h during the Thunders' opening match of the Big Bash League season against the Brisbane Heat.
"He's come along in leaps and bounds during the last 12 months," Lee said. "Certainly, the way he bowled in the Matador [domestic one day] tournament was very impressive.
"He's been genetically blessed with height and his pace is getting there. If you're bowling over 140 km/h-plus you're classified as quick and he'll just continue to get stronger as he keeps bowling."
