Gloucestershire Cricket run machine, Michael Klinger, held back the tears after being told he’d finally earned his maiden Australia call-up on Tuesday 31 January.

Cricket Australia announced their 13-player squad to face Sri Lanka in an upcoming three-game T20 International Series; with 36-year-old Klinger included.

Gloucestershire’s Andrew Tye, who has previously played T20s for Australia, has also been selected in the squad.

It was Klinger’s first ever National call-up, having debuted at state level in the late 1990s.

Speaking to the Perth Scorchers’ website, Klinger said: “I called my wife first” upon being told the news by coach Justin Langer on Tuesday afternoon.

“I held back the tears until I spoke to her.  Justin Langer gave me a big hug and it was hard to keep the tears away until I spoke to her.

“I called my brother, my dad and my sister.

“It was a moment I wasn’t sure was going to come.

“That half an hour when I got to speak to my family, I’ll treasure forever.”

Klinger recognised that the hard work was worth it, having captained Gloucestershire to Royal London One-Day Cup success in 2015 and finishing 2016 as the NatWest T20 Blast’s top run scorer.

“It’s been 15-16 years of hard work.  It’s great to get some reward now.  Exciting is the best word.

“I couldn’t be more pumped and I’m really happy for my family as well.”

Klinger’s 71not out in the 2016/17 KFC Big Bash League Final made him the leading scorer in the competition’s history, showing his consistency over the past few years in T20 cricket.

With that in mind, he said he never gave up hope on an Australian call-up, although he conceded his chances in the longer format.

“I didn’t (give up),” Klinger said.

“Maybe in the last 12 months in terms of Test cricket, I thought they’d looked to go in a new direction.

“T20 cricket you usually pick the guys who are in form.  As you’ve seen in the Big Bash now there’s a lot of experienced players playing very well.

“It’s a completely different format to the other two.  I’m pretty pumped to be honest.”

After years of missing out, Klinger acknowledged, for once, the timing was right for him.

“There’s a few guys not around to be selected (due to Test duty) which helped a little bit,” Klinger said.

“I think my consistency in T20 cricket in the last six years in the Big Bash and maybe overseas.

“The timing is right, it probably hasn’t been in other years.

“I’m thrilled it went my way this time.”

Interim Chairman of Selectors Trevor Hohns said: “On Michael Klinger’s selection, he has been a very good player in this form of the game for some time now.

“He has a history of strong performances in T20 competitions in the UK and in the BBL, including the match-winning innings for the Perth Scorchers to secure this year’s BBL title.”

Watch Klinger in action this summer with a Gloucestershire Cricket membership. Click here for more information