The Matador One Day Cup is providing two Blue Mountains stars with platforms to achieve greater things this summer.
Mt Riverview native Pat Cummins has got off to a flying start in his first games for the NSW Blues since October 2011.
The right arm quick bowled 10 overs and took three wickets in each of the Blues' victories against Queensland and Victoria in early October.
"It was good not only to play in those games but to contribute to the wins by taking wickets," Cummins said.
"We've [NSW] got a really strong pace bowling unit at the moment and it's exciting to be a part of it."
The 21-year-old was rested for the Blues' second match against Victoria on October 17, but bowled 13 overs for his grade cricket club Penrith on October 18, tempting a Western Suburbs batsman to nick the ball to his wicketkeeper brother Tim, who took the catch.
"That was the first time I've bowled using the red ball this season and I always love playing for Penrith, so hopefully I'll be able to play a few more games for them too this summer."
The news got better for Cummins on Monday when he was one of five NSW Blues players named in Australia's 13-man squad for the three-game T20 international series against South Africa, which starts in Adelaide on November 5.
"I've never played for Australia in Australia before, so it's going to be a new experience," he said.
"The body is feeling great and I couldn't be happier.
"The more we [young cricketers] play the more we start to know what our bodies can cope with."
Cummins, who scored 38 runs and took two wickets in the Blues' loss to the Tasmanian Tigers in Blacktown on Monday night, said his immediate goals are to help NSW win the Matador Cup [the preliminary final is on Friday] and then shift his focus to the T20 internationals and playing well for his new club, the Sydney Thunder, when the Big Bash League [BBL] begins in late December.
"I also hope to get back and play some Shield cricket and more longer-form cricket this summer," he said.
"But I try not to get too caught up about what's to come - I just enjoy every game that I do play in," Cummins said.
He bowled three deliveries to his former Penrith teammate, former Glenbrook resident Jordan Silk, during Monday night's game. Silk joined Ed Cowan at the crease to score the winning runs for Tasmania.
But the Tigers' win wasn't enough for them to stay alive in the tournament.
Silk - a talented fielder and opening batsman for Tasmania in Sheffield Shield cricket - played the role of middle-order batsman in the Matador One Day Cup.
And in a show of faith by Tigers' coach Dan Marsh, the 22-year-old was elevated to the role of team captain for the first three matches of the series in the absence of George Bailey and Xavier Doherty.
Silk and Cummins are bound to play against each other again in the BBL, as Silk plays for arch-rival club the Sydney Sixers.
"We don't get to see much of each other these days, but it's always good crossing paths with Silky and hopefully I can get a few back on him this summer," Cummins said.
