All-rounder James Faulkner is moving on from the dramas of his latest off-season, which saw him suspended from the Australian side for drink-driving in the United Kingdom.
Despite nursing a broken finger sustained during a recent T20 match, it was an upbeat Faulkner who on Tuesday spoke about how much he regrets getting behind the wheel after a few beers on a rainy Manchester July night.
He wants to shift the focus back to his cricket and is convinced there’s room for himself and Mitch Marsh in the Australian one-day side, and even the Test team.
Faulkner, 25, played a big role in Australia’s World Cup triumph earlier this year, and says the pair can complement each other in the same XI.
“We’re two different players … and I’d like to think we can both play in the same one-day team,” Faulkner told reporters in Hobart after arriving back home following a solid season for English county side Lancashire.
“I know we didn’t throughout the World Cup but I’d like to think we could do that and the same with T20 cricket and Test cricket as well.”
Marsh, who played three of the five recent Ashes Tests, was on Monday named in Australia’s 15-man squad for a two-Test tour of Bangladesh.
Faulkner meanwhile has just started bowling again after busting his digit a fortnight ago, and hopes to pick up a bat on Monday.
He missed the recent one-day series win over England while serving a Cricket Australia suspension for the drink-driving conviction, and fellow all-rounder Marsh went on to win man-of-the-series honours.
Faulkner was three times over the UK blood alcohol limit when he crashed into a parked BMW, leading to a hefty fine and licence suspension.
“It was an error of judgement, it was a bad decision and I’ve copped my whack for what I’ve done and the decision I’ve made and hopefully I can put it behind myself and concentrate on playing cricket,” he said.
Faulkner had been out celebrating the engagement of Tasmanian teammate Tim Paine on the night he attracted police attention.
“It is something that I definitely regret and I’ll regret it at the end of my career and for the rest of my life,” he said.
Build your own fantasy cricket team and put it to the test with Draftstars daily fantasy competitions. Pick your match, pick your team and watch the points roll in to take out cash prizes on each match. What are you really gambling with? Set a deposit limit.
RCB were initially questioned after bringing Maxi on with the new rock. It worked a treat as he dismissed Ruturaj Gaikwad first ball.
Faf du Plessis took one of the catches of the tournament as Royal Challengers Bengaluru qualified for the IPL playoffs with a 27-run win.…
Jonny Bairstow wants to never mention it again and Alex Carey got sick of hearing about it but the firestorm surrounding their dramatic incident…
Arjun Tendulkar fell victim to the humidity as he cramped up, but he wished he had taken himself off as he delivered two gifts…
New Zealand took 28 years to win a Test match, finally triumphing in 1956. There were plenty of skilled individuals before that but not a complete team.
In just under three weeks, the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup will commence in Texas as the United States face off against Canada in…
