As the Tigers were busy  disposing of New South Wales in the one-day cup clash in Sydney,  Faulkner received two solid endorsements half a world away.

First the 24-year-old former Launceston all-rounder was told he would be kept in the United Arab Emirates on standby for tomorrow’s  opening Test against Pakistan in Dubai, and then he was named alongside the dynamic Dunk for Australia’s Twenty20 international series against South Africa early next month.

However, Faulkner’s name among the 13-player squad for the three-match series in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney came with an asterix indicating he was selected subject to Test team requirements.

The left-arm quick was kept in the UAE following the one-day series in which he took three wickets and contributed 11, 26 not out and 33 with the bat but followed up with 0-57 and a duck in the tour-match loss to Pakistan A.

Faulkner is being retained as cover for Mitchell Marsh who was yesterday declared fit for selection for the two-Test series having strained a hamstring on September 30.

The 22-year-old West Australian all-rounder bowled seven overs for 18 runs in Pakistan A’s second innings of the four-day game in Sharjah, in which he also contributed a duck and 35 with the bat.

Faulkner has waited patiently to add to his solitary but eventful Test appearance in the 2013 Ashes clash at The Oval when he scored 45 runs at a quickfire 104.65 strike-rate and contributed 6-98 with the ball.

Chairman of selectors Rod Marsh said Mitchell Marsh’s possible selection would be as a pace-bowling all-rounder and confirmed that captain Michael Clarke, who scored 10 and five in the tour match, was over a hamstring strain dating back to August.

Meanwhile, two days after compiling the highest score in Australian domestic one-day cricket history of 229 not out, 27-year-old Dunk was selected as a wicket-keeper batsman in the national T20 squad, leapfrogging the likes of Matt Wade, Tim Paine, Peter Nevill and Sam Whiteman, and capping off an excellent 12 months that also saw him top the run-scoring in last year’s Big Bash competition.

‘‘This is the high point for me,’’ Dunk said.

CRICKET SQUADS

AUSTRALIAN TEST SQUAD: Michael Clarke (capt), Alex Doolan, James Faulkner, Brad Haddin, Ben Hilfenhaus, Phillip Hughes, Mitchell Johnson, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve O’Keefe, Chris Rogers, Peter Siddle, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner.

AUSTRALIAN T20 SQUAD: Aaron Finch (capt), Sean Abbott, Doug Bollinger, Cameron Boyce, Patrick Cummins, Ben Cutting, Ben Dunk (wk), James Faulkner, Nic Maddinson, Nathan Reardon, Kane Richardson, Shane Watson, Cameron White.