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Cape Town - George Bailey says he will be ready to make tough decision when starts his role as a national selector for Australia in February.
The 37-year-old Bailey, who is a former Australia limited-overs captain, is still currently playing first-class cricket for Tasmania but was named by Cricket Australia to the national selection panel alongside head coach Justin Langer and Trevor Hohns.
Bailey will not start in his role until February next year and will retire from all professional cricket after this season's Big Bash League, where he will represent the Hobart Hurricanes.
He has played with and been good friends with plenty of the current players in the Australia set-up but said he won't shy away from making tough calls of he has to.
Bailey said, in quotes published on ESPNCricinfo: "I'm certainly going in with eyes wide open to the fact that there are difficult conversations that will be had.
"Those two, in particular, I think it's all just about being honest.
"It certainly won't be my decision and my decision alone and like any player, you work through those things, hopefully together, but at the appropriate times.
"I feel like I'm a servant to the players and every player, or certainly the majority of the players playing first-class cricket, their dream is to play cricket for Australia. My job is to select the lucky few that get the opportunity to do that.
"But you're also trying to help those that are not quite in the mix, giving them some help and advice as to how you think they can get there and also the guys that have had the opportunity and then find themselves back out of the team, you're trying to help them out to get them back into that team."
Bailey - who represented the Aussies in five Tests, 90 ODIs and 30 T20Is - said he is also ready to face the criticism that comes with being a national selector.
"I'm happy to cop a little bit of criticism. That won't be any concern," he added.
"Who should and shouldn't be in the Australian cricket team is always a hot topic of conversation, which is great.
"There will be a lot of people whose advice I think is important, and there'll be a lot that won't."
- TeamTalk Media
