Clint McKay was elevated to national duty in 2009 and made a steady start at the elite level. A Test debut came in Perth against West Indies - he bowled Denesh Ramdin - and he was regularly used in the one-day side as well as being a Test tourist in New Zealand. A 194-cm fast-medium bowler with good control, McKay is a neat fit in the limited-overs side, although he faces stiff competition for games. Still, his economical returns, including 4 for 35 against Pakistan in Perth, helped gain him a Twenty20 contract with Yorkshire in 2010.

It was not until 2008-09 that McKay broke through at state level and was one of the key members of Victoria's triumphant Sheffield Shield side. McKay's 33 wickets at 21.42 meant he was sixth on the competition tally, which was a strong performance in an attack boasting impressive pace depth. McKay picked up his maiden five-wicket haul and collected 3 for 35 in the final, while also grabbing 12 FR Cup wickets at 34.58. His efforts earned him the attention of the national selectors and he was picked for Australia A's home series against Pakistan A in 2009. McKay starred in the first unofficial Test, when he grabbed a career-best 6 for 75 and eight wickets for the match.

McKay had to wait until he had lost his Cricket Victoria contract before making his debut for the state, getting his chance in November 2006 when several of Victoria's fast bowlers were struck down with injuries. In an effort to get in shape, he had trained with the Coburg VFL team and shed about nine kilograms. Three first-class games and six one-dayers came in his debut season, when the highlight was grabbing 4 for 42 in the Pura Cup match against Queensland and removing the top three batsmen in ten balls.

A handy lower-order batsman - he has made two centuries for his district club Essendon - McKay regained his state contract in 2007 and followed with another useful summer in 2007-08, when his five Pura Cup outings brought 16 wickets at 24.75 (He was unlucky to be overlooked for the final after picking up seven victims in the previous match). He shone in the FR Cup, collecting a remarkable 13 wickets at 14.76 from only five games to leave him equal sixth on the competition list. He carried his form into the Champions League Twenty20 in India, where he was the tournament's joint second-highest wicket-taker with 10. Shortly after, he received an SOS from the national selectors to join the injury-ravaged Australian ODI squad in India.
Brydon Coverdale July 2010