Ten years ago, Jeff Grzinic's lifelong ambition appeared futile. For two decades, Grzinic held the alluring dream many Australians had fantasised - possess the hallowed baggy green. But aged in his mid-20s, Grzinic was mired in the Western Australian Cricket Association's grade level, and a new crop of precocious players had leapfrogged him into First Class consideration.

Grzinic knew his dream of playing professional cricket had become delusion. The realisation was a bitter pill to swallow for someone who could arm-wrestle Mike Hussey for the Mr Cricket moniker. Physically and mentally exhausted, Grzinic was an unfulfilled man seemingly at the crossroads.

In 2003, an unexpected phone-call shook Grzinic from his stupor. Play international cricket for Croatia during the European summer, was the proposition. While intrigued, Grzinic was slightly miffed. He had visited the country of his heritage many times, but was never aware a Croatian national cricket team existed. Cricket is actually played in Croatia? The question reverberated but cricket's calling swayed. Soon, Grzinic obtained his Croatian citizenship, qualified under the International Cricket Council's guidelines, and packed his bags for an unlikely cricket adventure.

Fast forward a decade, the angst that once riddled Grzinic has evaporated. Previously, expectation and pressure to conquer his pastime had become overwhelming. Perhaps, an onset of maturity, common as one escapes the clutches of the twenties, has seeped his pores. However, his 10-year journey into the cricketing wilderness has brought more substance than mere financial rewards. Grzinic, a self-confessed "hard-working batsman", was never destined to become a privileged professional cricketer, as he imagined countlessly during childhood. He would never possess the iconic baggy green, instead finding unexpected serenity in a Croatian ‘baggy red'.

Grzinic's parents fled the former Yugoslavia in the 1960s in a bid to escape the shackles of a socialist system and believed Australia was the perfect land to raise a family. Despite his parents' ethnicity, frequenting the Balkans on jaunts and possessing an adequate linguistic command of the native tongue, Grzinic never developed a strong affinity with his heritage. Croatian cricket provided the catalyst for Grzinic to explore his roots.

"I was raised as an Australian kid, as my parents embraced the Australian culture," Grzinic explains.

"Cricket kick-started my interest with my heritage. I'm enamoured with Croatia as I get older, and through cricket, I believe I am giving something back to my heritage."

One does not associate cricket with Croatia. Indeed, Croatian cricket is probably an oxymoron. Even today, those who indulge in the quaint British game are often viewed as bourgeoisie. Little is known of cricket's rich history in Croatia, with the British regularly playing in the pristine island Vis during the Napoleonic Wars in the early 19th Century. Grzinic believes the t20 boon revolutionising and rejuvenating cricket can help the sport gain a foothold in the mainstream Croatian sports consciousness.

"Test cricket will probably never take-off in non-traditional playing countries but I think t20 can," Grzinic believes.

"In European cricket, these guys are very good because they see the ball and hit it. It's like playing backyard cricket. The skillset can be learned with t20 cricket but they don't pick up the intricacies so quickly, so that's where I can help out. I've played cricket all my life, and am fortunate to have played with Adam Gilchrist, Luke Ronchi and other State players, so I think I can really help develop cricket in Croatia."

Australia's new batting coach Michael Di Venuto and former WA and New South Wales paceman Steve Nikitaras are high profile cricketers who have played in Europe for Italy and Greece respectively. Grzinic is plotting to land European cricket's biggest fish, hoping to hand friend and former Australian Test batsman Simon Katich a ‘baggy red'.

"Simon has Croatian ancestry and we are hoping he plays for Croatia," Grzinic says with a flick in his eyes that reveal more hope than confidence.

"He's the kind of big name that we need to grow the game not only in Croatia but across Europe."

Grznic has played cricket in 15 countries, including in arguably some of the most diverse backdrops cricket has experienced. Playing on a corn field with the Austrian Alps in the background juxtaposed with machine guns surrounding the ground during a match in Tel Aviv are some of the indelible images of the global voyager's adventure.

Last year, Grzinic released his memoir Machine Guns and Cricket Bats, which he described as a cathartic experience. He believes the work is not the culmination of his European cricket expedition, because for Grzinic, fulfilment is in the journey.

"I still think I have a few years left of playing and I'm really passionate on continuing developing Croatian cricket," he states.

"I'm a living example of the success of European cricket and what it can do. I'm a better person for my involvement in European cricket. To play in those countries, the experiences I've had and the connections I've made with my family … what a dream."