Chris Jordan is aiming to use the one-day international series in Australia to launch his England career after earning the type of rave reviews normally reserved for one of his former classmates.
Barbados-born Jordan went to school with pop superstar Rihanna before moving to England as a teenager to continue his cricket education.
“When I go back to Barbados we see each other and stuff,” Jordan said as England prepared for tomorrow's tour game against a Prime Minister's XI in Canberra. “(She’s) a very good girl. I like her music very much.”
While it is unlikely he will gain the global notoriety of Rihanna, who has sold millions of records around the world, Jordan has shown he has the X-factor to start getting noticed on cricket’s international stage.
The 25-year-old quick was one of the bright spots of England’s series-opening six-wicket defeat in Melbourne yesterday, when his pace and movement caused the most concern for Australia's batsmen.
That performance, in just his second ODI, caught the eye of skipper Alastair Cook, while veteran Australia quick Brett Lee - who will captain the PM’s XI - has also since sung his praises.
“It was a very good experience, I was probably a bit unlucky not to take those wickets,” Jordan said.
“On other days I will probably bowl worse and pick up more. It was a good start for me in Australia.”
Jordan knows that a strong showing over the next fortnight will move him up the queue for selection to next year’s World Cup, which will be played Down Under.
Asked if he thought the door was open to push for a place, he added: “Yes, I would like to think so.
“A lot of opportunities are presenting themselves at the moment and the guys who take them will find themselves on the team sheet so hopefully I am one of them.
“At the moment I just want to take each game as it comes, stay grounded and see where it goes at the end of the series.”
Jordan’s pace marks him as an ideal fit for the hard and fast conditions in Australia.
Mitchell Johnson proved emphatically how devastating fast bowling can be during the Ashes, and has left England searching for something similar.
While Jordan knows that has shone the spotlight on him, he is determined not to over-extend himself in the search of a few extra miles on the speed gun.
“It (pace) comes naturally and I guess the conscious decision was to stay natural even at this level,” he said.
“I am pretty happy with the way I have started and hope it can continue.”
Lee, in attendance at the MCG yesterday, was so impressed that suggested Jordan was “destined to get a lot of wickets” for England.
“I thought he bowled extremely well, he bowled with good pace,” said Lee. “He was very unlucky; he could have had three or four wickets early on.
“I like the way he runs in … he’s got that aggression and pace. It was good to watch him bowl last night.
“It was the first time I've seen him bowl live and I think he will gain a lot of experience from that game last night.
“Someone who has got serious raw pace and can swing the ball away is destined to get a lot of wickets.”
Batsman Chris Lynn has been ruled out of the Prime Minister’s XI squad and replaced by Ben McDermott