Canterbury all-rounder Daryl Mitchell is building a compelling case to be involved in the first test against the West Indies, after a strong start to the domestic Plunket Shield competition.
Mitchell hopes his early form with both bat and ball will give him the edge against incumbent Colin de Grandhomme, and a chance to build on his single test cap.
"Obviously I've had a taste personally and yes I do want more, but that comes about after winning games of cricket for Canterbury," Mitchell tells Newshub.
That's coming easily enough. The bigger challenge will be dethroning De Grandhomme, who has made the test all-rounder spot his own.
"He definitely deserves the right to be that all-rounder and hopefully in the future my time will come," Mitchell admits.
Mitchell's Canterbury coach Peter Fulton is backing him for national selection.
"He's probably able to bat more time compared to Colin, who can be pretty destructive on his day," says Fulton.
While there's no doubting Mitchell's batting ability, it's De Grandhomme's ability to take wickets regularly he must now match.
"That's the challenge for Daryl… to keep improving," Fulton says.
"Keep banging on the door for Canterbury and, if and when an opportunity comes, grab it with two hands."
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