“I’d be lying to say I wasn’t frustrated at the start”

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

Australia all-rounder James Faulkner has admitted that he is eager to represent his country when they take on Afghanistan in Perth on Wednesday.

Faulkner has yet to play his first World Cup match since he has been recovering from a side strain he suffered during the ODI tri-series final against England on February 1 in Perth.

“I’d be lying to say I wasn’t frustrated at the start,” Faulkner said. “Any time you get injured it’s a shocking feeling.

“And to do it at the time it happened, it was obviously quite hard to take at the start. But it has given me some time to freshen up and get my body feeling good again.

“Hopefully it holds me in good shape come the end of this tournament.”

Faulkner also revealed that he felt no pain whatsoever when he bowled numerous overs in the nets at the WACA on Monday.

“I think I was lucky being a left arm bowler and a right arm batsman, it wasn’t the same side (bearing the strain) when I was batting,” he said.

Faulkner also refused to comment on whose place he will take in the side. As of right now, it could be Shane Watson or Glenn Maxwell since both players have been struggling with the bat and ball.

“I’m not too sure what they want to go in with, that’s purely up to the selectors,” Faulkner said. “All I can control is about getting back out on the park and giving myself a chance of playing again.

“The rest isn’t my job and it’s not for me to worry about. That’s their decision at the end of the day.”