Fawad Ahmed hopeful of making Test debut for Oz

Former Pakistani refugee-turned Australian leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed is hopeful of making the Test debut that has escaped him since being granted citizenship in Australia.

However, Ahmed has said that making a contribution to domestic side Victoria in the Sheffield Shield must remain his primary focus.

Ahmed is intent on winning a spot on the upcoming Test tours to the West Indies and England and is building his case for a Test debut in 2015, having claimed 18 wickets for the Bushrangers in the first half of the Shield season, Stuff.co.nz reported.

However, Ahmed has been close before and learnt a harsh lesson.

Despite taking six wickets against Western Australia in the first match of the 2013/14 Shield season, Ahmed failed to grasp his opportunity to unseat offspinner Nathan Lyon for the first Test of the Ashes series in Brisbane with another good performance.

Ahmed said that he felt a lot of pressure because people were telling him that he had a chance to play the first Test if he bowled well against New South Wales.

The legspinner claimed that he put a lot of pressure on himself and didn't perform well as a result, so he added that after that he tried to forget about playing for Australia and concentrate on playing for Victoria.

Ahmed claimed that his national ambitions are always there, but added that he is trying not to think too far ahead. He said that he cannot control selection, but if he is performing well for Victoria then he believes an opportunity would definitely come.