Tuesday 5 September 2017 17:55, UK
Samit Patel is hoping he may have done enough to earn an England recall after helping Nottinghamshire Outlaws beat Birmingham Bears in the NatWest T20 Blast final.
Patel scored 64 not out from 42 balls and shared a 132-run stand with Brendan Taylor as the Outlaws posted 190-4. He then ran out Birmingham dangerman Ed Pollock as Notts went on to win by 22 runs and complete a domestic one-day double.
He also took the wicket of Shahid Afridi in the the semi-final victory over Hampshire earlier in the day.
The 32-year-old says he has had no communication with England since being unused for the tour of South of Africa nearly two years ago and he was quick to remind the selectors that he is still available.
"I'd be disappointed if they didn't watch that," he said. "Playing for England is the utmost best for me. I love playing for England. Every time I put on an England shirt, I don't think that I've let them down."
Patel has a modest record for England in six Tests, 36 one-dayers and 18 Twenty20s, but after playing a key role for Nottinghamshire in their T20 Blast and Royal London One-day Cup triumphs this year, he believes he should get another chance.
He added: "Yeah it has hurt, especially in the white-ball format. I'm an ambitious player. You shouldn't play for Notts if you don't want to play for England in my opinion. Putting on that shirt, it means everything to me.
"Don't even count me out of Test cricket to be honest. I think I know my game much better now. I'm ready, I know I'm ready if they ring me, that's for sure. I'm a different player.
"They haven't spoken to me since the South Africa trip that I went on and didn't play. I have thought about picking up the phone but there's only one winner there and it won't go down well if I pick up the phone."
Reflecting on Nottinghamshire's success, he said: "We have a great team spirit. We win together and we lose together. We always play cricket to win, and win trophies. We have won two this year."
