Moeen Ali insists he will never take for granted being part of the England squad and will "play every game like it is my first or my last."
It was not long ago that the Worcestershire all-rounder feared the chance to play at senior international level had passed him by.
But it is remembering that feeling of disappointment which drives Moeen on to make the most of his current opportunities and helps retain that extra edge to his game.
He is poised to taste his first action of 2015 tomorrow for his country against an Australian Capital Territory X1 in Canberra.
It is England's first warm-up game ahead of the Tri Nations series with the host nation and India before the ICC World Cup next month.
Moeen said: "When I thinking the chance (with England) had gone, these are things you wanted to be involved in. That's why I take it one day at a time because I had felt in the past that my time had gone.
"It is very precious and I'm trying to make the most of it and hope it lasts for a long time.
"Thinking the chance had gone makes you appreciate the situation you are in and not take anything for granted."
Moeen added: "Do I feel part of the set-up? I don't look at it like that. I just look at it as an opportunity to play international cricket and I'm loving every minute of it at the moment.
"But I don't like to feel comfortable in a side. I play every game like it is my first game or my last game.
"Does having that edge keep you going? I think so. Obviously you have to give yourself confidence because there are probably times when you are a little bit down.
"You've got to try and stay as confident as you can and play every game like it is your first or your last game."
