Last year Nick Foster missed the Bush Blues squad.
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Less than a month ago he wasn't captaining the Newcastle representative team.
On Tuesday, just 48 hours after winning the NSW Country Championships and taking five wickets in the final, Foster was named captain of the state side for January's national titles in Toowoomba.
He was one of four Newcastle players announced in the group for 2019-20, joined by Bush Blues incumbent Josh Geary as well as debutants Aaron Wivell and Andrew Somerville.
Foster said his appointment marked a bit of a "turn around".
"You always want to play at the highest level you can and I hadn't totally given up hope [about playing NSW Country again], but I did think I was a long shot," Foster said.
"And a month ago I wasn't even captain of Newcastle.
It's been a bit of a turn around and I'm really looking forward to it. I'm pretty humbled by the opportunity."
- NSW Country captain Nick Foster
"It's been a bit of a turn around and I'm really looking forward to it.
"I'm pretty humbled by the opportunity."
Foster will be the first Bush Blues captain from Newcastle since Simon Moore.
This will be Foster's sixth Australian Country Championships in seven seasons after debuting in 2013-14, including a title in his last appearance two summers ago.
Off-spinner Foster claimed 12 wickets for Newcastle at an average of 10.3 during their successful campaign.
The right-handed batsman also sits third on the Newcastle first grade aggregate, having scored 225 runs for Stockton and Northern Districts at an average of 56.25.
Newcastle trio Nathan Price, who scored an unbeaten century in Sunday's decider against Greater Illawarra at Keira Oval, Jed Dickson and Jeff Goninan were unavailable for NSW Country selection.
Meanwhile, Hamwicks off-spinner Kain Anderson has been called into the ACT-NSW Country squad to play at the under-19 national titles in Western Australia from December 2.
NSW COUNTRY: Nick Foster (c), Chris Archer, Alec Baldwin, Adam Berwick, Scott Burkinshaw, Ryan Brown, Josh Geary, Tom Groth, Caelan Maladay, Michael Rixon, Andrew Somerville, Kerrod White, Aaron Wivell, Caleb Ziebell.
