Jhye Richardson is confident he can get back to the bowling speeds he operated at in the early stages of his career, despite Australia’s chief selector George Bailey expressing doubt over his ability to consistently hit 145km/h again.

Richardson opted to undergo major stabilisation surgery on his long-troublesome right shoulder in January last year.

And while he has played a Test match to go with consistent cricket for Perth Scorchers and WA since his return in October, he also lost his Cricket Australia contract earlier this year.

Speaking yesterday after unveiling Richardson as part of an Australia A squad which will head to India later this month, Bailey hailed him as “incredibly skilful” and said he was bullish on his international future.

But he also revealed his uncertainty over whether the 28-year-old would “ever get back to that mid-140(km/h) pace that he had”.

Speaking to The West Australian, Richardson said he was confident building more continuity and rhythm would allow him operate at his top speed with greater consistency.

“I think the reality is, if we’re looking back at the last three or four years, I probably haven’t been physically able to do that,” Richardson said.

“My shoulder is presenting as if it’s capable. I’ve been able to bowl at that speed post-surgery, just not for a long period of time.

“I know that I can do it. It’s just about going out there and proving to everyone now that I can do it.

“That Test match and the other games that I’ve played were less than 12 months post-surgery. Now that we’ve had a bit more time on from that, I’m pretty confident I can get it back.

“This pre-season has really helped me. We’ve worked hard, everyone’s fit, everyone’s going really well, so giving myself the best chance to do that consistently is what’s going to help me get back up to the top.”

Richardson conceded he was disappointed to have lost his national deal, but said he understood the decision and held no grudges.

“It’s just the nature of the beast, really. I haven’t been able to put my hand up as much as I would’ve liked over the last few years to play for Australia,” he said.

“Having my shoulder surgery again, a big part of that was diving into the unknown of how I would come out of that.

“It is disappointing, but it also has allowed me to buy into what WA are doing and concentrate on this program and make sure I’m in the best possible state to go back into playing cricket all of this year.

“I know if I can play some games and put some performances on the board, the depth of Australian cricket will be tested naturally, with how many Test matches there are coming up over the next 12 to 18 months.”

While he has been a regular at the WACA Ground throughout the winter months, Richardson has also played plenty of competitive matches throughout his pre-season, backing up an early-season stint in England’s County Championship with Yorkshire by featuring for the Scorchers in the Global Super League tournament in Guyana.

He said he had enjoyed a build-up back towards the home summer which had been marked by variety, rather than monotony.

“They were two very unique experiences and two very contrasting experiences as well,” Richardson said.

“Feeling like you’re preparing for something has been really nice.

“This is probably the longest stint I’ve had up and running for at least three or four years now, so hopefully, treating this pre-season a little bit differently, getting some game-time in, and staying up and running will build some resilience, which is what I’ve lacked over the last few years.”