When Fawad Ahmed accepted the Bill Lawry Medal as Victoria's Sheffield Shield player of the season on Friday night he mentioned, with a smile, he had won it despite incessant teasing from his teammates. The dressing room antics included loudly playing some stilted interviews he had given and mockingly reading aloud quotes he had given in newspaper articles. He is now bracing for more within the Australian Test squad.

The reputation of "Fuzzy" being a popular target of teasing spread to the Australian camp. As he ate with the team on Monday night — chief selector Rod Marsh invited him, to mark his impending elevation — David Warner mischievously leaned into him and said: "Get ready!"

Fawad Ahmed took 48 wickets across the domestic summer, including 8-89 in the Shield final. Credit:Getty Images

Ahmed, who has now learned to relish such good-natured taunts, retorted that if Warner was to start teasing him that he should wait until England to start, because if he did it in the West Indies then Ahmed would call in his Melbourne Renegades teammates Andre Russell and Dwayne Bravo as reinforcements.

Ahmed was already a fine bowler when he was flown to England in June 2013 for an unofficial Ashes selection trial with Australia A. He still boasts that trait, but now complements it with better fielding, better fitness and better composure in the face of pressure when performing under the gaze of national selectors and the media.