Budding cricketer Zanden Jeh was at school when he got a call from selectors

Dubai: It was a routine day for Sri Lankan origin Zanden Jeh at school. After his classes he realised he had a missed call and called back that turned out to be the best call ever.

It was a call from one of the national selectors to inform him of his selection to the Australia A team.

The 21-year-old will be in Darwin when Australia A will play three 50-over matches and two four-day games against Sri Lanka A side.

“I was at school teaching at the time when I got the call. I actually missed the call the first time," Jeh said. "I had to call Tony Dodemaide (National Selector) back after his voicemail and heard the news then.

“So, the first person I told was actually Dad. I called dad straight away, and he was down in Hobart and at work. So, it was pretty cool to share that moment with him. A bit of surprise and unexpectedness, but yeah, ready to rip in,” he added.

His father Michael was born in Sri Lanka and then played first-class in England before settling in Australia. Jeh credits his dad for growing his love towards cricket. “Dad was a big driver in that in terms of cricket for us, playing as kids in the corridor in the house and having a lot of family support there who all love their cricket on both sides of the family.”

He said he earned his early bowling inspiration from Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja but also cited Sri Lanka’s legendary spinner Rangana Herath, as well as current spinners Mitchell Santner and Matt Kuhnemann, as other inspirational bowling figures.

“Jadeja is a really good one when I was growing up. It was really, really cool to watch those guys go about their business. In batting, I always loved watching Mike Hussey...Bowling-wise, Rangana Herath, Mitch Santner, and Australia’s own Matt Kuhnemann.”

“I've had the pleasure of playing against guys like Kuhnemann and seeing how they go about their business. It's pretty special to watch and I try and just absorb as much as I can,” said Jeh in a statement issued by Cricket Australia (CA).

Interestingly, Jeh is right-handed in most things, but plays cricket with his left hand. “As a kid, I was actually, so I'm right-handed at everything...The only things I do left-handed are batting and bowling," he added.

With inputs from IANS