Glenn Maxwell 1

by Patrick Loughlin

  About the Book

  Will Albright is a batting whiz and captain of his local cricket team. But when his coach nominates him to attend a T20 training camp, Will soon discovers that standing out in a sea of young cricket talent isn’t easy. Especially when Darren ‘Killer’ McKinnon, a super-quick pace bowler, has taken a deadly dislike to him. Luckily, Will’s hero, Glenn Maxwell, is on hand to provide some much-needed advice.

  If Will can survive Killer’s bouncers, he may just have a shot at making it through the camp alive and gaining a place at the brand-new T20 Youth Academy.

  Contents

  Cover

  About the Book

  Title Page

  Chapter 1: Captain Courageous

  Chapter 2: Opportunity Knocks

  Chapter 3: A Fellow Tragic

  Chapter 4: What’s with the Girls?

  Chapter 5: A Friendly Warm-Up

  Chapter 6: Appetite for Destruction

  Chapter 7: Masterclass

  Chapter 8: Girls vs Boys

  Chapter 9: High Stakes

  Chapter 10: Killer Instinct

  Chapter 11: Lucky Break

  Chapter 12: Judgement Day

  Chapter 13: Rain Delay

  Chapter 14: Here Comes the Hurt

  Chapter 15: Master Stroke

  Chapter 16: With a Little Luck

  About Glenn Maxwell

  Cricket Tips

  Glossary

  Also in the series

  Copyright Notice

  Loved the Book?

  CAPTAIN COURAGEOUS

  Will Albright stood at the crease and squinted at the bright March sun. Today was turning into the toughest day of his twelve-year-old life. It was the second innings and the second day of the grand-final match – the last match of the cricket season – and Will was fighting to keep alive his team’s hope of winning.

  ‘Come on, boys. Two more and we’ve got it!’ called the Lakeside wicketkeeper.

  Will’s team, the Green Park Rangers, were eight for 131, chasing 144 for victory against the Lakeside Sixers. Just 13 runs away. But Will knew that the opposition had the momentum. They had taken three wickets in the last two overs, with Will stuck watching helplessly from the non-striker’s end. Now he was on strike, but he couldn’t take any chances. The remaining two tailenders wouldn’t last long now that the bowlers had got a sniff of triumph.

  Will took a deep breath and steeled himself for the next delivery. As the captain of the team, he was going to fight till the end. He just hoped the end didn’t come in the next few deliveries. A lanky pace bowler began his lumbering run from the northern end of the ground. Will stood still, his bat poised, his eyes trained on the bowler.

  Anticipate. Act. Anticipate. Act. He recited his batting mantra in his head, trying to pick the next delivery from the bowler’s hand. Inswinger? Short ball or a cracking bouncer?

  He was starting to lose track after all the balls he had faced in the innings. He’d opened the batting 21 overs ago and was edging towards a half-century. But it wouldn’t mean much if his team lost.

  As the bowler arrived at the crease, Will lost sight of his hand in the glare of the sun. In an instant, the ball was on him – a toe-busting yorker. Will reacted just in time, playing off his back foot and edging the ball into the turf. A dot ball.

  ‘No worries, Will. Slow and steady, mate,’ a familiar voice called from the crowd. Will could always count on his dad for a few reassuring words.

  But when it was followed by another dot ball, then another, Will’s throat began to tighten. There was one ball left in the over. He needed a run to retain strike. But he had to be careful. He couldn’t give up his wicket, either. He hadn’t batted all day to let his team down now.

  Will glanced up at Aaron Mooney, his teammate at the non-striker’s end. Aaron was a good medium pacer but not so good with a bat. He looked terrified.

  The bowler stormed in, and Will straightened. He couldn’t let the ball beat his bat again. He had to score.

  The last ball was a touch short and wide of the crease. Will pounced and swept it to the off side. He took off down the pitch, nodding at Aaron as they crossed in the middle. When he got to the other end he breathed a sigh of relief. He turned just in time to see Aaron heading back down the pitch for a second run.

  ‘Wait!’ Will yelled, throwing out his glove in protest.

  Aaron faltered, confused. ‘But you nodded!’

  ‘Go back!’ screamed Will.

  Aaron turned and attempted to scramble back to the batter’s end.

  CLACK!

  The ball burst through the wicket, and the crowd roared. Aaron was out.

  Will closed his eyes, wishing it wasn’t true. But when he opened them again, Aaron was walking off and Kenny Adeebi was walking out to pitch. Kenny Adeebi, the eleventh man. Kenny Adeebi, who had not scored a run all season. The only good news was that the over was finished and Will would regain strike.

  Twelve runs to win. You can do it, he told himself. You have to.

  The new bowler was a leg spinner. A good one, too. Will had struggled to score off him all day. Most of his 47 runs had come off the faster bowlers, but now Will had to find a way to score 12 runs quickly. Kenny wouldn’t last many balls against the fast-paced attack of Lakeside.

  The first ball of the over was a crafty leg break. It flew past Will’s bat, missing the outside edge by centimetres, and flicked his right thigh pad before going through to the keeper.

  Will took another deep breath. Come on. Anticipate. Act.

  The second ball was a nasty little topspinner. Will caught it on the edge of his bat, bumping it into the air.

  ‘Catch it!’ called the wickie.

  The bowler dived, but the ball landed just short of his grasp. The Lakeside supporters groaned. Will gulped.

  That was too close. Get it together. Anticipate…What next? Wrong ’un? Will watched the next delivery slide out the back of the bowler’s hand. Googly.

  Will reacted quickly, sweeping to the leg side on one knee and smashing the ball to the fence for four. This time, it was the Green Park supporters who were cheering.

  ‘Come on, Will! You’ve got this!’ yelled a teammate.

  Eight more runs.

  The crowd applauded Will’s half-century, but Will didn’t raise his bat. He wasn’t done yet.

  Is that the seam? he wondered as he watched the spinner’s fingers. Slider?

  The ball skidded off the deck and bounced up. Will was ready. He slashed it backwards over the slip fielders, and it ran away to the fence. Another boundary. Four runs to win.

  Don’t do anything stupid, Will told himself. But when he mistimed the spinner’s quicker ball and it flew by his bat to the keeper, his nervousness returned. There was one ball left in the over, and if he didn’t score, Kenny would be down this end and the game could be lost with a good delivery.

  The bowler came in and Will lost sight of his hands in the afternoon sun. He had no idea where the ball was going but, somehow, it didn’t matter. Before he thought to move, he was swinging his bat, his eyes closed.

  CRACK!

  The bowler watched as the ball rocketed back over his head. Will opened his eyes and stared. The ball just kept going and going. It was a huge hit – a six.

  Did that really happen? thought Will. Did I just hit a six with my eyes closed?

  Suddenly, his teammates were on the field, throwing him into the air and onto their shoulders. They had won the grand final.

  OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS

  ‘That was one of the best captain’s knocks I’ve ever seen. Better than Ponting!’ raved Mr Albright as Will’s teammates returned him back to the ground.

  ‘Dad!’ Will shook his head, embarrassed but secretly c
huffed.

  ‘Will!’ called his coach. ‘Come over here, mate. I have someone I want you to meet.’

  Will looked over to see a tall, silver-haired man in a blue suit standing next to his coach, Geoff. He walked over to them, wondering just who it was Geoff wanted him to meet. The man in the suit looked important.

  ‘This is Jack Jarrett,’ said Geoff. ‘He’s a Junior Cricket Victoria selector. He has something he wants to ask you.’

  ‘Nice to meet you, Will,’ said Jack, shaking Will’s hand with a hearty grip. ‘Great win today. You really kept a cool head out there.’

  ‘Thanks, Mr Jarrett,’ said Will, trying to remain calm. A Victorian selector’s interested in me!

  ‘Just call me Jack.’

  ‘Okay.’

  ‘Will, Geoff asked me to come watch you today for a new youth development program I’m organising, and I have to say, I liked what I saw.’

  Will nodded slowly. He could hardly speak. Is this really happening?

  Jack smiled a warm, toothy grin. ‘Will, how would you like the opportunity to join our state Twenty20 cricket academy?’

  ‘He’d love it!’ Will’s dad exclaimed.

  Will turned and glared at him.

  His dad shrugged apologetically. ‘You’d love it, wouldn’t you?’

  ‘Yeah, I guess,’ said Will, looking up at Jack. ‘If you really think I’m good enough.’

  ‘I think you’re one of most talented junior batsmen I’ve seen in a while,’ said Jack. ‘That last shot out there was a cracker. And you’re only eleven?’

  ‘Twelve,’ corrected Will. ‘I’m a little short for my age.’

  ‘That’s still very impressive,’ said Jack. ‘I’d like you to come along to our T20 cricket camp in the April holidays. It will involve three days of working with talented youngsters like yourself and introducing them to the skills of T20 cricket.

  ‘The camp will help us select players to join our academy. Make it in, and you may be selected to play for Victoria. Who knows, you could even be playing in the Australian team for the first T20 Youth World Cup, in England next year. What do you reckon, Will? Want to give it a go?’

  ‘Um …’ Will couldn’t stop thinking about that last shot. The shot that won his team the game. The one he’d hit with his eyes closed. What if it was a fluke?

  ‘Don’t keep the man guessing,’ said his dad, nudging Will in the ribs.

  Will pushed his thoughts aside. ‘Yes?’ he finally managed, still not sure how any of this was happening or why.

  ‘Fantastic. I’ll send all the information through to you,’ said Jack. ‘Oh, I almost forgot – one of the coaches for the camp will be Glenn Maxwell.’

  Will’s jaw dropped. ‘Glenn Maxwell?’

  ‘That’s right,’ said Jack. ‘He’s one of the best T20 players in the world at the moment, and we’ll have other amazing coaches, too.’ I must be dreaming, thought Will. Glenn Maxwell was his favourite T20 player. He watched every game Glenn played, whether it was for the Melbourne Stars, the Victorian Bushrangers or Australia. Will loved his big-hitting style and the way he seemed so fearless at the crease. He even had a massive poster of Maxi hanging over his bed.

  Geoff smiled proudly. ‘Sounds like an amazing opportunity, Will. Lucky you,’ he said, before he led Jack over to the other coaches.

  ‘Did you hear that? You’ll get to meet Glenn Maxwell,’ sang Will’s dad. ‘And you’ll be coached by Jack Jarrett. He was one of the best all-rounders Victoria ever produced. Captained them to three Sheffield Shields.’

  Will stood there, staring blankly at the oval.

  ‘Hello! Earth to Will,’ said his dad, waving a hand in front of Will’s face. ‘It’s me, Once in a Lifetime Opportunity. Can Will come out and play?’

  Will looked up at him and frowned. ‘What’s wrong? Aren’t you excited?’ said his dad. ‘This is it, mate. This could be your shot to play for Victoria! This T20 academy sounds brilliant.’

  ‘That’s what I’m afraid of,’ said Will.

  His dad narrowed his eyes, struggling to comprehend Will’s lack of enthusiasm. ‘What’s there to be afraid of, son?’

  ‘Well, what if I’m not good enough? What if I don’t make it into the academy?’

  ‘Will, are you in the academy right now?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘So what do you have to lose? Just enjoy the moment. You don’t get many better days than this, hey?’ His dad wrapped an arm around Will’s neck and gave him a playful noogie. ‘Come on, I’ll buy you a hotdog. A hotdog for my hotshot cricket-star son!’

  Will rolled his eyes and smiled. His dad was right, what did he have to lose?

  A FELLOW TRAGIC

  ‘It’s gone! I can’t find it anywhere.’ Will slumped onto his bed. ‘Forget it. I’m not going!’

  He could feel his bottom lip sticking out. He was pouting. He hadn’t pouted since kindergarten, but he couldn’t help it. This was a disaster.

  ‘Stop being a drama queen. I’m sure it’s here somewhere,’ said his dad. ‘Maybe if you cleaned your room once in a while you wouldn’t lose things.’

  ‘What have you lost?’ asked his mum, popping her head around the door.

  Will threw back his head and groaned.

  ‘He’s lost his box,’ said Will’s dad.

  ‘So what? We’ve got plenty of boxes in the garage,’ said his mum.

  Will groaned again.

  ‘He’s lost his hector protector. You know…’ His dad pointed downwards.

  ‘Oh. Right. Have you tried your undies drawer?’ asked his mum.

  ‘Yes, of course!’ said Will. ‘I’ve checked everywhere.’

  Will’s mum shrugged and opened Will’s top dresser drawer. ‘Is this it?’ she asked, holding up a small plastic mound.

  Will’s dad laughed. ‘Looked everywhere, hey?’

  ‘I did,’ said Will defensively, packing it into his bag.

  ‘Okay, let’s get going or we’re going to miss that bus,’ said his dad.

  Will glanced up at his Glenn Maxwell poster. He still couldn’t believe he would be meeting his cricket hero in just a few hours. Maybe that’s why he felt so nervous. Or was it something else? He’d been playing club cricket for three years but was he really good enough to make it at state level?

  ‘Come on, Will. Shake a leg,’ called his dad.

  ‘Coming,’ said Will.

  Guess I’m about to find out, he concluded as he grabbed his bag and headed out the door.

  When Will and his dad pulled up at Green Park Oval, several Green Park players from different grades were loading their bags and boarding the bus. Will could see that there were already players from other cricket clubs on the bus.

  Will grabbed his kitbag and backpack from the boot. He couldn’t believe he was finally heading off to the T20 Academy Cricket Camp. It had been a long first term. Starting high school had been even harder than he’d thought and, at one point, it had felt like the April holidays would never arrive.

  ‘All right,’ said his dad, holding out his hand. ‘I guess I’ll leave you to it.’

  Will could tell his dad wanted to give him a hug but shook his hand anyway.

  ‘Have a great time. You’ve got nothing to lose, okay?’

  ‘Thanks, Dad.’ Will leant in and gave him a quick hug. He might be in high school but, right now, he still felt like a little kid.

  His dad ruffled his hair. ‘Get on the bus before you miss out on a window seat and have to sit next to the smelly kid. Hey, wait, you are the smelly kid!’

  Will shook his head and smiled. ‘Funny, Dad. Real funny.’

  He climbed on the bus and, moments later, they pulled out onto the open road.

  The bus came to a stop in front of the Lakeside Cricket Club – the Rangers’ cross-town rivals. As the Lakeside players climbed on board, Will scanned their faces to see if any were from his grade. Sure enough, he saw a familiar face heading down the aisle – the Lakeside opener who’d top-scored in the
grand final with 62.

  ‘Is this seat taken?’ the boy asked, pointing to the seat next to Will.

  ‘Nope.’

  The boy sat down and looked at him. ‘Hey, you’re the captain from Green Park.’

  Will nodded and extended a hand. ‘Will Albright.’

  ‘Shavil Kumar,’ said the boy, shaking Will’s hand. ‘Played much T20 before?’

  ‘Nope. Have you?’

  ‘No, but I follow the Indian Premier League.’

  ‘Me too – and Big Bash,’ said Will. ‘All cricket, really.’

  ‘Same! It’s all my dad, my brothers and I talk about. It drives Mum crazy.’

  ‘Yeah, you should see my dad.’

  ‘You hear that Glenn Maxwell is going to be coaching us?’

  ‘Yeah. Pretty amazing. Hope I don’t say anything stupid in front of him.’

  Shavil laughed. ‘Hey, who’s the girl sitting up front?’

  ‘Where?’ Will followed Shavil’s gaze and saw there was a girl sitting next to Jack Jarrett. She was tall with curly brown hair and looked to be around their age. ‘Maybe she’s Jack’s daughter.’

  ‘She looks too young to be his daughter. You don’t think there are going to be girls at this camp, do you?’ said Shavil.

  ‘At a cricket camp?’ said Will. ‘I don’t think so.’

  Just as the words left his mouth, the girl turned around and stared at him. Her fierce blue eyes pushed him right into the back of his seat. He turned and looked out the window.

  Shavil chuckled. ‘I think she likes you.’

  WHAT’S WITH THE GIRLS?

  BONK.

  Will’s head bounced off the window as the bus hit a pothole. ‘Ow!’