High hopes ... Vinesh Bennett and brothers Tim and Matthew Floros. Photo: Jay Cronan
Australia's indoor cricketers are waiting for their ''Kerry Packer to come along'' as the nation's leading players hope to push towards professionalism over the next five years.
Three Canberrans are part of the Australian team leaving for Sri Lanka on Wednesday for a series of Tests against the hosts and India next week.
Vinesh Bennett and brothers Matthew and Tim Floros are part of the squad that will play four Tests against India and four against Sri Lanka and possibly the finals as well.
Bennett, 38, is a seasoned veteran of the Australian outfit having been in the side since 2005.
He's won two world cups and received the 2012 Alan Wilson Medal for being the best player in the world.
The opening batsman, whose job it is to ''anaesthetise''the opponent's bowlers, said indoor cricket wouldn't turn professional during his career, but was confident it would happen.
''We're waiting for the Kerry Packer to come along and take the plunge and make it a professional sport,'' Bennett said.
For the Floros brothers, they're following in their older brother Jason's footsteps.
The hard-hitting Queensland Bulls and Sydney Thunder all-rounder has also represented his country indoors.
Matthew Floros hoped his cricket could follow a similar course, but said it was already a massive part of his life regardless of whether it became his job as well.
The family has grown up playing indoor cricket, with dad Con owning the indoor cricket centre at Weston.
''It would be good to follow him and make it a career - what better thing than to get paid to play what you love,'' Matthew said.
''It's the dream, but we've grown up around this all our lives so it's almost just our lives anyway.
''We see work as just another thing alongside doing all this.''
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