Former Middlesex batsman Adam Voges has urged Sam Robson to spend some time in Australian state cricket before deciding where to pledge his international allegiance.

Robson was brought up in New South Wales, but his mother is English and, after six seasons with Middlesex, he has now qualified to play for England as well.

But Australian one-day star Voges, who spent two months as Middlesex’s overseas player this summer, believes the 24-year-old should sample state cricket in his homeland before committing to either national flag.

“I’ve actually had some really good chats with Robbo about things and it’s a bit different now that the rules have changed in Australia and he can have a summer of domestic cricket there,” Voges told london24.com.

“That’d be a great opportunity for Robbo and any state would love to have him after the form that he’s shown in county cricket. He was the second bloke to 1,000 runs and he’s had a terrific season.

“All I’ve said to him is ‘enjoy your cricket, mate’. At least he’ll be able to make a more informed decision now if he does get picked one way or the other.

“He’s got an opportunity to play [Sheffield] Shield cricket and hopefully he’ll continue to play good cricket both here and in Australia. It’s a nice position to be in, when two countries want you to play for them.

“He just needs to keep enjoying his cricket, making runs and other things tend to look after themselves. If he does decide to play for England, all the best, but I certainly hope he plays for Australia.”

Opening batsman Robson finished the season as Middlesex’s leading run-scorer in four-day cricket with 1,180 runs to his name at an average of 47.2.

Only captain Chris Rogers – and his replacement Voges, who only played four County Championship games during his spell with the club – were able to better that average.

Robson is a strong candidate to be included in England’s performance squad when the national selectors announce their picks for the winter tours this week.