ByAnonymous, Anonymous
First-class cricketers Michael Klinger and Julian Weiner look set to line-up against Team GB at next year’s Maccabiah Games in Israel.
With trials ongoing for the Australia Maccabi squad, Klinger has stated his intention to compete at the Games, as long as he is not selected to play for Australia in the Ashes series.
The South Australia batsman enjoyed his first taste of county cricket with Worcestershire last season and has been one of his country’s most consistent batsmen over the last few years.
Klinger said: "I certainly wouldn't have applied for the Maccabiah if I wasn't genuinely interested in heading over to Israel, and if all the dominos happen to fall into place then I really hope to be there.
"I would absolutely love to go back again, but obviously I hope to be busy in July next year playing in the Ashes for Australia. Hopefully we can assemble a strong line-up that is capable of bringing home the gold."
Australia’s squad will be finalised next month and their medal hopes received a further boost when Maccabiah veteran Weiner applied for what would be his fourth Maccabiah, at the age of 57.
Weiner said: "It would be a wonderful experience to play cricket with my sons in Israel, enjoying everything that is part of the Maccabiah. We hope to excite and inspire other prospective team members to work hard physically to prepare for the cricket."