Harris keen to impress Aussie selectors

Ryan Harris, the Australia fast bowler, who recently signed up with Surrey and will represent them in the County Championship, has said he is hoping to impress Australian selectors during his stint in the English domestic season.

"It's in the back of my mind, obviously, but there's a few guys in front of me," he told BBC London 94.9. "If I'm here and performing well and the selectors want to look at me then it saves on the flight over, I guess."

Harris, who replaced New Zealand's Grant Elliot as Surrey's overseas player, made his ODI debut in January against South Africa at home, but missed the rest of the season as a result of a foot injury. He was a part of the victorious Deccan Chargers team in the IPL, playing eight games and capturing six wickets at 38.33.

Harris was due to play his first County Championship fixture for Surrey on Saturday against Glamorgan, but the first day was abandoned due to persistent rain. However, he was looking forward to the experience. "It's obviously a new thing for me having never played county cricket before," he said. "To be at a club like Surrey, that have been such a good club in English cricket, is a great honour.

"It's something I've always wanted to do and it's great to be here. It has been a dream to come and play in county cricket, to come and experience the gruelling schedule and a good example of that is coming up in the next three weeks."

Harris expressed his keenness to play competitive cricket while his domestic team Queensland spent its time training for the Australian cricket season which doesn't start until later in the year. "It's going to be a test but that's why I'm here. I want to play cricket. My Queensland team-mates are training at home but they're catching and doing drills and I want to play cricket, which is why I'm here."

The injury which had ruled him out earlier in the year, Harris believed, was now long behind him. "Coming from Twenty20, where I bowled a fair bit, to four-day cricket is a bit of a step but it's not as if I've come from nothing into playing three or four-day games," he said. "I feel good, the body feels good, my foot feels good and the jetlag's not that bad at the moment so I'm just ready to go."