Glenn Maxwell 1

by Patrick Loughlin

  ‘How’s that?’ asked Glenn.

  Will shrugged. ‘Dunno. Just… I think I only got invited here because I hit a six in our grand final to win the game. The thing is, I didn’t even have my eyes open. It was just a lucky shot.’

  ‘We all need a bit of luck sometimes,’ said Glenn. ‘Though, I probably wouldn’t recommend closing your eyes as a batting strategy.’

  Will laughed a little. ‘Even with my eyes open… I’m just not sure I’ve got it, you know, to make it into the academy. Every time I think I’m going okay, I do a dumb shot and get out. Or I get knocked down by one of Killer’s bouncers.’

  ‘Yeah, that kid can bowl real fast,’ said Glenn. ‘But I’ve seen you bat. You’re pretty good. Good players make their own luck. As for whether you have it or not, I’m not sure any of us really do. You’ve just got to take your shots when they come. Sometimes t hey come off, sometimes t hey don’t. Knowing when to take them is the trick.’

  ‘I guess,’ said Will.

  ‘Oh, by the way,’ added Glenn, ‘if you are thinking of trying the reverse sweep again, make sure you check out the field first and wait for the right ball. You want either a half-volley or full toss just outside of leg stump. Got it?’

  ‘I’ll try to remember that,’ said Will.

  As suddenly as it had begun, the rain stopped.

  ‘Looks like we’ll still get a game,’ Glenn said with a wink. ‘Make sure you strap that foot up.’

  ‘Okay,’ said Will, feeling a little more positive.

  ‘And, Will…’

  ‘Yeah?’

  ‘Good luck out there.’

  Will nodded. If he did get to play, he was going to need all the luck he could get.

  HERE COMES THE HURT

  By eleven o’clock, the ground was dry enough to play. The girls’ T20 match was scheduled first and the game wasn’t short on excitement. As expected, Zoe dominated. She was fearless, scoring 45 off 24 balls and taking three wickets. Any lingering thoughts the boys may have had that she was just at the camp because she was Jack’s niece were quickly obliterated, as was any notion that girls couldn’t play cricket.

  Will and Shavil sat behind the fence, watching in awe.

  ‘She’s amazing,’ said Shavil dreamily. ‘She’ll be chosen for the academy for sure.’

  ‘Yep,’ agreed Will. ‘She’s certainly not short of confidence.’

  It was true. Zoe moved with such freedom on the cricket field. It didn’t matter if she was batting, bowling or fielding, she was always busy and always smiling. Of course, she didn’t have to face Darren’s bouncers.

  Will looked down at his toe and wondered if he would be able to move as freely. He had changed into his cricket whites earlier but he had put off pulling on his cricket boots for as long as possible.

  Guess now is the moment of truth. He taped up the splint and wrapped his foot in a thin bandage to take pressure off his toe. He gently and painstakingly rolled on his sock. Now he just had to get his boot on.

  Will loosened the tongue of his right shoe and slowly slid in his foot. It was just as he’d expected. It hurt like hell. He tied the laces loosely and stood up, putting just a little pressure down on his foot. His toe throbbed like a jungle drum.

  ‘How is it?’ asked Shavil.

  Will didn’t reply. He just winced and tried not to cry.

  ‘That bad, huh?’

  Will tried to steel himself with positive thoughts. It is just a T20 match. Forty overs, that’s all. Just a couple of hours. I can do it. I have to.

  But as the boys’ team lined up and prepared to take the field, and Will limped along to keep up, he couldn’t help but notice his teammates looking at him doubtfully.

  Jack and Dan had already inspected his foot and agreed not to stop Will from playing as long as he felt up to it. The boys had been split evenly into two groups – Teams A and B – and there were twelve a side, with the twelfth man guaranteed to play part of the match. Will had been selected to play for Team B as opening batsman, along with Shavil. But as they stood in line preparing for the toss, there were some not-so-quiet grumblings that Will should sit out the game.

  ‘He can barely walk. How is he going to bat or field?’ asked a gangly kid from one of the country teams.

  ‘He’ll be right. He could bat blindfolded, a broken toe’s nothing to him!’ said Shavil.

  Good old Shavil, thought Will. At least I have someone in my corner.

  ‘He’s playing, so just shut up about it!’ added Darren.

  Make that two people. Will now had the captain and main weapon of Team A behind him. At the start of camp, Will would never have suspected that Killer McKinnon would be sticking up for him.

  ‘I’m not missing out on the chance to take his head off just ’cause his toe’s broken,’ Darren said emphatically.

  Ah, that’s more like it. ‘Thanks, Killer,’ said Will.

  Darren shrugged. ‘Whatever.’

  ‘Why don’t we let him open and, if he needs a runner, I can run for him?’ suggested Matt, the twelfth man. ‘As long as I get to bowl a spell, I’m happy. My batting’s pretty terrible, anyway.’

  ‘Thanks, Matt,’ said Will, ‘but no runner. This is a tryout for the academy. It wouldn’t be fair to everyone else.’

  The rest of the team agreed reluctantly. The captains made their way out to the middle for the toss with Dan, who was acting head umpire for the match. Darren won the toss and elected to bat.

  Great, thought Will. Now what do I do?

  As it turned out, Luke, the captain of Team B, who was a pretty great wicketkeeper and a smart cricketer, decided to put Will into short leg so he wouldn’t have to chase the ball. So, when Matt came on to bowl for the last 10 overs, Will could have a break as twelfth man. Will just had to get through 10 overs at short leg, one of the most dangerous fielding positions on the cricket oval.

  The game began at a furious pace. Darren’s openers were determined to get on top of the bowling attack early and, right from the first ball, they began playing big shots. They smashed 20 off the first three overs without loss, prompting Luke to bring on Freckles to bowl spin and try to stem the runs.

  It was good news for Will, who felt sure that the next boundary was going to travel through his face on its way to the fence, such was the force and speed of the shots the openers were playing off the fast bowlers. He’d already had two near misses that had knocked him off his feet as they zoomed past him. Short leg was meant to be a catching position, but Will’s natural instinct when a ball came flying at his head was to duck. He had managed to stop one shot from reaching the fence by throwing his hand out, but immediately regretted it. His left thumb was now throbbing almost as much as his right toe.

  The change to Freckles was a good one. His first two balls were dots and the batsmen on strike looked uncomfortable with the sudden change of pace and Freckles’ unpredictable, loopy deliveries.

  Stay alert, Will told himself. We need a breakthrough.

  Freckles bowled a devilish leg break that fooled the batsman and popped up off his glove. The next moment happened in ultra slowmo.

  Will watched the ball spin through the air, travelling back off the batsman’s glove, and launched himself hard at it. He forgot all about his broken toe and leapt off his right foot without hesitation. He heard the groan of ‘Catch it!’ from Luke, and watched the ball falling through the air, still spinning on the way down, and wondered if he’d reach it in time. He saw his fingers stretching out for it as his body thumped hard on the ground.

  His right boot struck the edge of the pitch, sending a shockwave through to his injured toe that triggered a scream of pain somewhere in the back off his brain. Then he saw his hand on the turf and his fingers curled around that wonderful red leather ball.

  Unable to stand, Will sat bolt upright and held the ball triumphantly in the air. The batsman hung his head and slapped the pitch with his bat while Will’s teammates cheered and rushed over to congratulate him.
/>   They had their first wicket.

  MASTER STROKE

  ‘Are you okay, Will?’ asked Luke. ‘You don’t look so good.’

  Will nodded. ‘I’m fine.’

  But Will wasn’t fine. The breakthrough wicket had led to two more in three overs, but during that time Will had become more and more wobbly on his feet. It felt like someone had swapped his cricket boot for a trap, and his toe was the unlucky rat.

  Just as Will was doing his best to convince Luke he was okay, black dots swirled in front of his face. The next thing Will knew, he was inspecting the grass for the second time in three days.

  Replaced by Matt in the sixth over, Will watched the rest of the innings from the sideline. The next 14 overs weren’t spectacular viewing for his team. While they took three more wickets, Darren’s team continued to belt the ball all around the oval. Will didn’t know what hurt more – his big toe or the blows being dealt by the batsmen. By the twentieth over, they had put on a grand total of seven for 163.

  ‘You’re not really thinking about opening, are you?’ Luke asked, as he watched Will strap on his pads.

  ‘I’m feeling much better, and Dan and Jack both checked me out,’ said Will. ‘Besides, we’ll need all the batsmen we have to get 164.’

  ‘Yeah, but you won’t be much good if you pass out again,’ Luke said doubtfully.

  Shavil, who was busy with his own pads, suddenly stood up, his nostrils flaring and his eyes blazing. ‘If Will doesn’t play, I don’t play!’ he declared.

  Luke gave Shavil a puzzled look and shrugged. ‘Fine, play then. But don’t blame me if you pass out again.’

  ‘Thanks for sticking up for me,’ said Will, as he and Shavil headed out for the second innings.

  Shavil patted him on the back. ‘Don’t worry, I was just bluffing. I totally would have played.’

  Will laughed. He did feel a little better. His toe was still hurting, but he wasn’t about to let that stop him from batting.

  ‘So, what’s the game plan?’ asked Shavil, as they stood in the middle of the pitch while Darren measured his run-up.

  ‘Stay calm, hit big, don’t get out,’ Will replied with a wide grin.

  ‘And what about running between the wickets?’

  ‘I don’t plan to do any running,’ said Will. ‘I’m only going to hit boundaries.’

  Shavil shook his head, a small smile forming on his face. He admired his friend’s optimism.

  Unfortunately, t hat optimism was quickly obliterated by Killer’s first blistering delivery – a cruel yorker aimed right at Will’s toes. Will only just managed to get the bottom of his bat to it to avoid another broken toe and a possible LBW dismissal. The ball bounced off his bat and into a gap on the off side. Before Will had time to think, he was half-hobbling, half-galloping down the pitch.

  ‘What happened to no running?’ panted Shavil as they crossed in the middle.

  ‘I forgot,’ Will yelled back. Well, at least I’m off the mark, Will thought as he stood at the non-striker’s end. But a moment later he was scrambling down the pitch after Shavil managed a leg glance off another thumper from Darren. Will ran as fast as he could, but the return throw from the man in the outfield was right on target, forcing him to dive for the crease.

  ‘Safe!’ Dan called from his position at square leg. ‘You all right?’ he asked Will.

  ‘Uh-huh.’ Will grimaced as he got back to his feet, his cricket whites now stained with grass and dirt. His whole body was aching from his bone-jarring dive on the pitch. And it’s only the second ball of the over, he thought miserably. How long am I going to last out here?

  ‘WOOOooooo! Come on, Will! Fire up!’

  Will turned and saw Zoe jumping up and down behind the fence.

  I can do this, he told himself. Okay, back to basics. Anticipate. Act. Anticipate.

  He looked up at Darren, striding into the crease, picking up speed like a steam train travelling downhill.

  He wants to intimidate me. And he hasn’t bowled a bouncer yet…

  Sure enough, Darren slammed the ball into the pitch hard and short.

  ACT.

  Will ducked as the ball skimmed past his helmet. He teetered on his good leg, then regained his balance.

  That was close. Okay, what next?

  Will looked up at Darren again. He was snarling and stalking back to his mark. Then in he came, springing at Will like a lion on a gazelle.

  He’ll probably want to try his luck again. In for the kill. Another bouncer.

  Will twisted his body to get under the ball, but the ball nicked his glove on the way through. It popped up over the wicketkeeper’s head and raced away to the fence for four.

  Darren threw his arms up in despair, and Shavil applauded at the other end.

  Good, but don’t get cocky. There’s a long, long way to go.

  Darren ran in again.

  What now? Full delivery?

  No, Darren fired one at Will’s rib cage. Will stuck his bat out in front, sending the ball straight back to Darren. Darren dived for the ball but it landed short of his hand and rolled back down the pitch.

  I need to make this count. It’s the last ball of the over, and Darren will be angry after dropping the catch. He’ll try to trap me…

  Will glanced around the oval at the field position. The third man and backward point were up in the circle.

  Darren ran in once more. Will watched the ball in Darren’s hand like a hawk, his head as still as a stone. The ball came out fast. A half-volley bouncing just outside off stump.

  ACT.

  Will adjusted his grip and reversed his bat, dropped to one knee and swept the ball high into the air.

  A fielder moved back to take the catch. He was under it. He raised his hands as Will watched helplessly from the striker’s end. The fielder leapt into the air, but the ball kept going. And going. And going. Until it was gone.

  Jack signalled a six and winked at Will.

  Darren shook his head in disgust.

  The small crowd, including Team B, Zoe and some of the other girls and coaching staff, cheered excitedly.

  Suddenly, Will couldn’t feel his throbbing toe. He wasn’t worried about making it into the academy, either. He just wanted to play his shots and chase that score. He readied himself at the crease as the new bowler launched his attack.

  Today, he told himself, the gazelle eats the lion.

  WITH A LITTLE LUCK

  From that point on, it didn’t matter what was thrown at him. Will belted each ball to the boundary like he was swatting tennis balls in the backyard. When the ball was short, he danced down the wicket and sent it back the way it came – a long way back.

  When the ball was full, he switched to the back foot and cut the ball, sending it flying to the fence. He sliced, he slashed, he scooped, he smashed. He pulled, he paddled, he swept, he slogged. He cracked and smacked and whacked the ball till his bat was covered with cherry stains and his brow was dripping with sweat and he could no longer feel his feet.

  Then Shavil got in on the act and began playing some glorious cover drives and straight drives down the ground. While Will was more daring, Shavil was a classic stroke-maker. Together, they were unstoppable – and the bowling attack had no answer. They reached their hundred partnership in just 55 balls. By the time Will holed out for 83, they were already 121, and both teams applauded him off the ground. Even Darren gave Will a reluctant clap. Shavil anchored the rest of the innings and Team B soon chased down the remaining runs.

  ‘Great game today, Will,’ said Glenn as the players loaded their belongings on the bus. ‘With a little luck, I’ll be seeing you again soon.’

  On the bus ride home, Will and Shavil didn’t say much. They just smiled most of the way.

  ‘You played pretty good today,’ Zoe said to Will. ‘If you don’t make the academy, my uncle’s got rocks in his head.’

  ‘I heard that,’ Jack said from the front of the bus.

  ‘Maybe we’ll all mak
e it in,’ said Shavil. ‘Of course we will,’ said Zoe.

  But Will wasn’t so sure. He’d played well in the last game, but would Jack still recommend him after all the problems he’d had during the camp?

  ‘I guess we’ll have to wait and see,’ said Shavil hopefully.

  ‘Well, whatever happens I’m really glad I met you both. It’s been fun,’ said Will.

  ‘Yeah, especially that bit where you smashed the ball right into Darren’s –’

  ‘All right, settle down, Shavil,’ called Jack.

  ‘It was pretty funny,’ said Zoe.

  Will laughed. Whether he made it into the academy or not, at least he’d gained two awesome friends.

  A few weeks later, Will arrived home from school to find his parents waiting at the door with large smiles on their faces.

  ‘What’s going on?’ Will asked suspiciously.

  His mum handed him a large white envelope. ‘It came today.’

  Will stared at the Victorian T20 Youth Academy logo in the top-right corner. This was it, the news he had been waiting for.

  ‘Come on, son. Open it,’ said his dad impatiently.

  Will slowly opened the envelope. He read the letter, then stared at the page for a long time.

  ‘Well? Don’t leave us hanging,’ pestered his dad.

  Will looked up at his parents, and smiled. ‘I made it!’

  Before he knew it, his dad was ruffling his hair and his mum was hugging him.

  ‘I knew you could do it,’ said his dad.

  Will read the letter over and over again, just to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

  Dear Will,

  Thank you for attending our T20 Academy Cricket Camp. Over the three days, you displayed great skill, character and determination, and all of our coaches were greatly impressed.

  We would like to offer you a place at the Victorian T20 Youth Academy for next term. Please complete the attached form and return it to the Academy Admissions Office by 16 May.