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New South Wales batsman Kurtis Patterson has forced Australian Test selectors into a dramatic backflip, earning a call-up to the squad for the first Test against Sri Lanka at the Gabba.
Patterson was the star performer in last week's Cricket Australia XI tour match against the touring Sri Lankans, scoring centuries in each innings to catch the eye of selectors at the last minute.
The tour match was billed as "bat-off" for the four Test aspirants already in the squad in Joe Burns, Matt Renshaw, Marnus Labuschagne and Will Pucovski, but none of that quartet stood out.
Instead, Patterson battered 157 not out and 102 not out — 259 unbeaten runs over three days — sparking enough momentum to force selectors into a change of heart.
The 25-year-old will now join the squad in Brisbane in preparation for the day-night Test which begins on Thursday.
"Kurtis has been pushing his case for selection for some time, he has been a consistent top order player for New South Wales, was a member of the Australian A tour of India prior to the commencement of our summer, and was most recently selected to compete in the day-night tour match against Sri Lanka in Hobart," chairman of selectors Trevor Hohns said in a statement.
"We have been asking batters around the country to score hundreds if they want to be considered for selection, and given Kurtis' consistent performances for NSW and his two unbeaten centuries in last week's tour match against our upcoming opponent, Sri Lanka, we believe he deserves to be added to the Test squad."
Patterson has had a solid season for New South Wales in the Sheffield Shield thus far, scoring 428 runs at 47.55 including a ton against WA at Perth Stadium in November.
He averages 41 over the course of his first class career, and in 2011 became the youngest player to score a Sheffield Shield ton when he scored 157 against WA on debut as an 18-year-old.
Patterson joins Jhye Richardson as a late inclusion into the squad, with the latter brought in as a replacement for injured quick Josh Hazlewood.
The squad reshuffle could mean as many as three baggy greens are handed out on Thursday afternoon in Brisbane, with Patterson, Richardson and Pucovski all strong chances of being awarded debuts.
It would continue the sizeable refresh of Australia's Test team.
There were three debutants in Australia's first Test team against Pakistan in the UAE in October — Aaron Finch, Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne — and another in Marcus Harris for the home series against India.