 |  When people say I'm a sub-continental specialist, I say it's nice to be special at something |
Glamorgan paceman Mike Kasprowicz said playing county cricket has helped him resurrect his career with Australia.
Kasprowicz played just 17 Tests in his first seven years as an international, but he has been a key figure in each of Australia's past five matches.
"I think what's helped my game is playing a high volume of cricket," said 32-year-old Kasprowicz.
"County cricket has helped me a lot because you play on a lot of different surfaces, different pitches."
Kasprowicz, who took 77 first-class wickets in England last year, added: "Even the Glamorgan home wicket in Cardiff is quite a low, slow wicket.
"It's about adjusting when you come across other surfaces."
Brett Lee's injury woes over the past year have thrown Kasprowicz's Test career a lifeline.
Recalled to the squad in an Indian one-day tournament last October, Kasprowicz has been arguably Australia's best paceman since then.
In February, on a Colombo pitch notoriously unhelpful to seamers, his 5-45 - including three wickets in one over - helped Australia to a one-day series win over Sri Lanka.
And he was just as impressive in July when he took 7-39 as Australia thrashed Sri Lanka in the first Test in Darwin.
| Kasper's in the side and is the incumbent and he is doing a great job |
Despite his overdue success, Kasprowicz, who has spent his career in the shadow of Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Lee, remains modest.
"It is very tough, it goes without saying," said Kasprowicz, in Amsterdam for the rain-hit Dutch tri-series.
"It is not only them but there are a lot of other great cricketers in Australian first-class cricket so it's very honourable to be selected again.
"All I can do is try to do my best. If I get the opportunity to go out and play for Australia it's up to me to bowl well.
"If there are more people challenging for a position in the team then it draws the best out of everyone and the team certainly benefits."
Previous strong performances have led to Kasprowicz being labelled a sub-continental specialist.
Although Australia expect to have a full complement of fit bowlers to choose from, Kasprowicz is high in the reckoning for Australia's Test tour of India in October.
"When people say I'm a sub-continental specialist, I say it's nice to be special at something," he quipped.
"Obviously Australian bowlers prefer to bowl on nice hard bouncy wickets because that's what we have at home and that's what we've grooved our game on.
"But when you come to India the wickets are slower and lower and that's something I've taken on board now."
A figure no less than selector and former captain Allan Border has already warned that Lee will have to prove himself.
"Kasper's in the side and is the incumbent and he is doing a great job. That makes it difficult to get in," Border said.
MMIX
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