Usman Khawaja says his Queensland teammate Matt Renshaw deserves a Test cricket recall if his Australian opening partner David Warner calls it quits in the next year.
The 36-year-old Warner said this week that "it could be my last 12 months in Test cricket" when asked how much longer he was considering playing.
Khawaja, speaking to reporters after being announced as the Brisbane Heat skipper for the BBL season, said as long as Renshaw kept scoring runs he would put himself firmly in the frame for Test selection.
Renshaw has made an unbeaten 200 while opening for the Bulls already this season and won selection in the Prime Minister's XI to play the West Indies next week.
The 26-year-old played the last of his 11 Tests in 2018 after making 636 runs at an average of 33.47.
Khawaja, 35, was out of the Test team for two-and-a-half years before his successful recall in January so understands the position his teammate is in.
"I do believe the cream always rises to the top. Matty Renshaw deserves to be at the top," Khawaja said.
"He's been there and done it and seen both sides of the fence. I think that makes you a well-rounded cricketer and person.
"He's been dropped. He's been in the team. He's scored runs. He's scored a hundred for Australia. Hopefully when the opportunity presents itself he is scoring runs."
Khawaja, who will open with Warner against the West Indies in the first Test in Perth from November 30, said he wasn't surprised by Warner's recent comments about the end of his Test career being close.
"I debuted before David Warner but he has played (96) Test matches and I've played 51.
"If you look at it from that point of view I have a bit more freshness in my mind because I haven't been in the grind of international cricket for as long as he has. That grind is tough work. You are away from your family for a long time."
Khawaja has captained the Bulls in Sheffield Shield cricket since 2015 but previously played his BBL cricket for the Sydney Thunder.
The Heat have signed him to a four-year-deal and he said he was relishing the prospect of leading the side after his Test commitments.
"I think I'll get six or seven games and then hopefully finals to follow," Khawaja said.
"I would like to play more but that's just the way it is with the schedule at the moment. I'm looking forward to it."
"Right now I am feeling great. I feel like I could play until I'm 45," Khawaja said about his own playing future.
"There is no finish line for me."
