Boyd Rankin admits he is desperate to fulfill his Ashes dream after making his England debut in the Twenty20 international against New Zealand on Tuesday.
The 28-year-old made 52 limited-overs appearances for Ireland but he decided to quit his home country last summer in a bid to try and win a place in the England Test team.
Rankin took a step closer to his dream when he made his first appearance in England’s five-run defeat to the Black Caps, and was also named in the squad for the Ashes warm-up match against Essex which gets under way on Sunday.
The fast bowler will now get a second chance to impress the selectors as the Ashes draws closer and he admits he hopes to follow in the footsteps of fellow Irishman Eoin Morgan by breaking into the Test set-up.
“I made the switch mainly due to the fact that I want to play Test cricket, which I can’t do with Ireland. That is my ultimate aim,” he said.
“For me, I feel that is my best form of the game. I have played quite a lot of T20s and ODIs with Ireland so playing the shorter forms of the game are not new to me.
“I just want to reach that peak. I’ve been playing for Ireland since I was a young boy so it was a big decision to make but I thought it was the right move at that stage in my career.
“I’m pleased I’ve been involved a little with the ODI and T20 set-ups and now this four-day game coming up.”
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