‘Good to see you haven’t changed,’ Will said as they passed. He suddenly felt a nervous fluttering in his gut. Just relax, he told himself. Focus on the moment.
The only problem was that the moment would involve Darren running in to bowl at lightning speed – and Darren seemed determined to get revenge for the way Will had smashed his bowling last time. It seemed Will wasn’t the only player with something at stake in today’s game. Darren was playing for pride.
Shavil and Will met in the middle of the pitch before the first over.
‘So … game plan?’ asked Shavil. ‘Stay calm, hit big, don’t get out?’
‘Go hard or go home,’ corrected Will.
‘All righty then,’ said Shavil. ‘Good luck, birthday boy.’
‘Thanks, you too.’ Will looked at the crowd in the stand and around the fence. It wasn’t just family and officials today. There were a lot of people here for the double-header. City B had beaten Country B in the first game and, once again, Brock had played well, scoring a hard-fought but game-saving 62.
Don’t think about that now, Will told himself. You’re not competing with Brock, you’re competing with yourself. Oh, and an overgrown, fast-bowling gorilla named Killer.
Will took strike at the crease and looked up to see Darren digging his boot into the grass at the northern end, etching his run-up mark in the ground. Marking his gorilla territory, thought Will. Okay, get positive now. Focus. ANTICIPATE.
Will focused on Darren, who was beginning his run-up for the first ball of the innings.
He wants to intimidate me, he’ll send in a bouncer to test me out like he did with Brock, Will decided as Darren’s legs gathered pace and pounded in towards the pitch. Don’t let him. Get on the front foot, dictate play. Bash it back over his head! ACT.
Will danced down the pitch and swung through the line of the ball. But the ball wasn’t short, it was pitching right on line. The ball struck Will’s pad right in front of middle stump. He was plumb.
‘How iz heeee!’ screamed Darren.
Will looked up at the stony face of the umpire. He remained unmoved. Thank God, thought Will. Then the umpire’s arm slowly rose into the air, his index finger standing tall like a white flag on a battlefield.
Will was out, LBW. A golden duck. His new bat hadn’t even touched the ball. To top it off, he had to put up with Darren crowing about the wicket right in his face as he walked off the ground. Actually, he wasn’t crowing, he was quacking and waddling around, impersonating the little golden duck that walks across the TV screen when a batsman gets a duck.
It was not the birthday bash Will had been hoping for.
COME IN, SPINNER
‘At least when you ask Maxi to sign your bat it will still be nice and clean,’ said Shavil.
Will frowned and tried to focus on the game. City A was nine for 99, and things were starting to feel desperate. While Shavil had performed well with the bat, making 52 before succumbing to another killer from Darren, very few of the City A batsmen had put up much resistance against the pace attack of Country A.
Darren’s bowling had gone to a whole new level. He was bowling faster and more accurately than ever before. He didn’t need to bowl as many short balls, and he was sticking to good line and length – with devastating results. The other country bowlers were supporting him well with pinpoint deliveries that made it hard for City A to find the boundary.
The only other City A player to put up a fight was their captain. Mike was still out there battling away but he only had 32 off 65 balls, and it looked like City A would run out of wickets before they got to the 20 overs.
Will could hardly bear to watch. ‘This is terrible. Our batting was our strength,’ he said, shaking his head. ‘How are our bowlers going to defend this?’
‘We might pick up a few more runs with Mike still out there,’ said Shavil. But just as Shavil spoke, a shout went up from Country A.
Mike had nicked a drifting ball from Country A’s spinner and was caught in the slips. City A was all out for 99, and Darren had picked up five for 19.
‘Killer just booked himself a spot in the state team with that performance,’ Will said miserably.
‘We can still win this,’ said Shavil, ever the optimist. ‘You just need to ask Mike to let you bowl.’
‘What makes you think I can make a difference?’ said Will. ‘I’m not even a proper bowler.’
‘It doesn’t matter what I think. It only matters what you think,’ Shavil said sternly. ‘So what do you think, Will? Can we win this?’
Will sat there for a moment, watching Mike and the tailender, Tyson, walking off the field while Country A celebrated the final wicket. Then he saw Darren grinning from ear to ear.
‘I think we can take them,’ said Will. ‘We have to.’
For the first five overs, it looked like Will was wrong. The Country A openers made a cautious but firm start with a steady run rate, and an occasional boundary and sensible running between wickets meant they were soon 32 without loss.
Then they decided to start hitting out. Poor Tyson was the bowler they picked on. His medium pacers didn’t have enough on them to threaten the batsmen and, feeling more comfortable at the crease, they began taking to the air. In one over, one of the openers, a solid, squat player named Riley, hit two sixes and three fours. Suddenly, they were 56 and, at their current rate, they would be 100 in no time. Then Riley decided to go for broke. He played an ambitious reverse sweep but miscued it and skied the ball straight up into the air.
‘Catch it!’ called Mike.
Will looked up. He had been fielding at short leg and saw that the ball was drifting his way. He was the closest to it. He needed to take it. Oh, boy, here goes everything.
‘Mine!’ he called as the ball plummeted from the sky.
The good news was, his back was to the sun this time. He just had to keep his eyes on it. Will positioned his hands, planted his feet and glued his eyes to the ball.
Don’t drop it! he told himself as he braced for impact.
Then the ball was in his hands. He’d caught it! For a second Will just stared at the ball. Then he threw it up into the air and pumped both his fists.
The team went wild. They rushed in and jumped all over him, especially Tyson, who finally had a wicket after a terrible over.
‘Looks like you may be our lucky charm, Will,’ Mike said as they waited for the new batsmen to come to the crease. ‘Ready for a bowl?’
Will nodded. ‘Definitely.’
Mike handed him the ball. ‘Remember, we can’t afford to give away any runs and we need wickets too.’
‘Right, don’t give away runs and take wickets. No problem,’ joked Will. He made his way to the bowler’s end and stood there contemplating his options. He decided it was best to stick with his stock ball and try to vary the pace for the first few balls.
He sent down the first ball and managed to get a little spin. The ball bounced off the pitch and beat the batsman. Dot ball. At least he hadn’t given away a run.
Will decided to try the same ball again but with a bit more flight by tossing the ball a little higher, the way Maxi had shown him. The slower pace did the job and the ball caught the edge of the bat and flew to Benny behind the wicket, who caught it and threw it into the air. Will had a wicket!
Mike and the rest of the team ran in to congratulate him. Will’s neck began to hurt from all the head-patting and hair-ruffling.
‘Okay, don’t get too excited, everyone. We need more,’ said Mike. ‘I want to see everyone ready in the field. Will, I’m adding a slip.’
‘Okay,’ said Will, but he didn’t think he’d need it. It was time to try the carrom ball.
He changed his grip, being careful to keep his back to the batsman. Then he turned and launched the ball, flicking it out from his finger and thumb with all the force he could muster. The ball spun through the air and onto the pitch. Then it bounced up perfectly, as if Will had it on string, beating the bat and taking
out the off stump.
The batsman turned and shook his head in disbelief. Benny almost leapt out of his skin with excitement. Will had another wicket. He was on a hat-trick.
That’s when Killer stepped up to the crease.
Darren didn’t usually bat so high. He’d obviously promoted himself up the order to stop Will getting the hat-trick. He smiled and nodded at Will.
He wants to smash me. Will knew Darren only had one stroke when it came to batting – the slog. He’ll definitely have a swing. Do I stick with the carrom ball or should I try something else?
‘Don’t let him intimidate you. This is your moment!’ said Mike.
Will remembered Glenn’s words. Enjoy the moment.
He looked around the oval and saw the rest of the team watching him, nodding and clapping him on. He saw Shavil standing out on the boundary. He gave Will a thumbs up. Will looked into the crowd and saw his mum and dad. He saw Jack and Dan and Zoe. Even Maxi was there watching. Everyone was watching him.
He took a deep breath. Okay, forget about the hat-trick. Forget about the state team. Just focus on the moment. Bowl the best ball you can.
He opted for an arm ball, and it wasn’t bad. It had a little more pace and was straighter. Darren saw it and his eyes lit up. He swung hard and smashed the ball back over Will’s head to the fence.
It was just what Will wanted. He turned and watched the ball fly towards the boundary, where Shavil was waiting to swallow it up.
‘No!’ cried Darren.
But it was too late. Shavil took the catch and threw the ball back into the air, leaping up and down with joy.
Then the whole team ran in and jumped on Will. There were hugs and high fives and hair-ruffling and, finally, a team stacks-on. Will wasn’t sure he would make it out alive. In the crowd, his parents were hugging each other and cheering.
‘That’s my son, the one who just got a hat-trick!’ yelled his dad.
‘Woohoo! Go, Willster!’ called Zoe.
As Darren walked off the ground, Will got to his feet. He had something he wanted to say. ‘Darren!’ he called.
Darren turned and glared at him. ‘What?’
‘Quack,’ said Will.
Darren shook his head, almost smiled and then walked off.
Mike threw Will the ball. He still had two balls remaining in the over. ‘Four down, six to go,’ said Mike. ‘And they only need 44, so don’t give away any runs.’
Will nodded and smiled. ‘I can do that.’
ACADEMY ALL-STARS
In the end the game went down to the wire. Will took another wicket with his carrom ball before the Country A middle order rallied, defending solidly and picking up some ones and twos. Then the boundaries started flowing again.
But City A worked hard in the field. They picked up two more catches and a run-out and, in the final over, Country A were eight for 93 – just seven from victory.
Will was handed the ball for the last over. He stuck with his stock ball and managed two dot balls and one single. On the fourth ball, the batsman swept Will’s topspinner for four. Country A needed just two runs for victory. On the final ball, Will called on the carrom ball once more, fooling the batsman and trapping him LBW. The umpire raised his finger just like he had for the first ball of the match. This time, though, Will was taking the wicket.
As the Country A batsmen left the field with their heads down, Mike handed Will the ball. ‘Keep it – you don’t get a hat-trick and a five-wicket haul every day.’
Will took the ball and smiled. Maybe thirteen was his lucky number after all. ‘Thanks, Mike.’
After the game, Will introduced his parents to Glenn, who did end up signing Will’s bat for him.
‘Maybe I should be getting your signature after that hat-trick,’ said Glenn. ‘Was that the carrom ball I noticed out there?’
‘Yep, I’ve been practising all week,’ said Will. ‘Still haven’t quite mastered it.’
‘One week to learn a new ball? You must have a great bowling coach,’ Glenn said with a wink.
Will laughed. ‘He’s okay, but he’s no Warnie.’
‘Geez, where’s the respect?’ said Glenn, laughing and shaking his head.
‘That’s the new generation for you, Maxi,’ said Will’s dad.
Afterwards, the four teams gathered in the foyer for the presentations and the much-anticipated announcement of the Junior Boys Victorian T20 team.
Jack stepped up to the podium and addressed the crowd of players, family and officials. ‘Well, it was a tough selection process but we think we’ve chosen a team that gives us the best chance of taking out the T20 State Championship. So, without further ado, the players selected for the Junior Boys Victorian T20 squad are …’
Will held his breath as Jack read out the list of names.
Shavil and Brock were selected as openers. The two Country B openers were chosen for third and fourth batsmen. Mike made the team as an all-rounder and was named captain, while Darren was chosen for bowling attack. Even Lil Benny was selected as wicketkeeper. Will’s dad squeezed his shoulder and his mum smiled sympathetically.
Then Jack looked directly at Will. ‘Last but not least, after his amazing hat-trick today, Will Albright will be our spinner and, obviously, he’s pretty handy with a bat too.’
Will breathed a sigh of relief that was interrupted by a body-crushing hug from his dad.
‘So proud,’ said his dad, fighting back tears.
‘Dad, get off,’ mumbled Will, but he really didn’t mind as much as he let on. He was just happy to have made it.
The new team gathered together for a photo, and Will found Killer standing right next to him. ‘Guess we’re going to be playing on the same side now,’ said Will.
Darren grunted.
‘You may need to give him some time to adjust,’ said Shavil, who was standing alongside Will.
The photographer snapped a photo.
‘Say hello to our Academy All-Stars!’ said Jack.
Shavil beamed. ‘All-Stars – I like the sound of that.’
‘Me too,’ said Will.
There was a round of applause, and Will couldn’t help breaking out into a smile. This had been the best birthday ever.
GLENN MAXWELL
Nickname: Maxi
Born: 14 October 1988 in Kew, Victoria
Height: 182 cm
Weight: 74 kg
Batting style: Right-hand bat
Bowling style: Right-arm orthodox
Role: All-rounder
National side: Australia
PLAYING CAREER
1996/97–2005/06: Juniors for South Belgrave Cricket Club
1999/2000: U12 Mitchell Shield for Ferntree Gully and District Cricket Association
2000/01–2002/03: U14 R. M. Hatch for Bayswater Cricket Club
2000/01–2004/05: Seniors for South Belgrave Cricket Club
2002/03: U15 Outer East Eagles
2003/04: U15 Victoria
2003/04: U15 Outer East Eagles
2003/04: U16 Dowling Shield for Richmond Cricket Club
2004/05: U16 Dowling Shield for Outer East Eagles (Captain)
2005/06: U18 Outer East Eagles (Captain)
2005/06–2006/07: Richmond Cricket Club in Victorian Premier Cricket
2006/07: U19 Victoria
2007–Present: Fitzroy Doncaster Cricket Club in Victorian Premier Cricket
2009, 2010: Australia Super Sixes (Hong Kong)
2010–Present: Victorian Bushrangers in Sheffield Shield, one-day competition
2011/12: Melbourne Renegades in Big Bash League
2012: Delhi Daredevils in Indian Premier League
2012, 2014: Hampshire County Cricket Club in County Championship (England)
2012: One-day International debut for Australia vs Afghanistan (Sharjah)
2012: T20 International debut for Australia vs Pakistan (UAE)
2012–Present: Melbourne Stars in Big Bash League
2013: Mumbai Indians
in Indian Premier League
2013: Surrey County Cricket Club in County Championship (England)
2013: Test debut for Australia vs India (India)
2014: Kings XI Punjab in Indian Premier League
MAXI’S TOP T20 TIPS FOR SWITCH-HITTING AND OFF-SPIN
Switch-hitting
Switch-hitting is a fairly recent development in the game of cricket and has been used in T20 matches by players to maximise scoring opportunities. A switch hit, like a reverse sweep, involves changing your stance and moving the bat to your opposite side – to the left hand if you’re a right-hander, or to the right if you’re a leftie. That’s why it’s called a switch hit – you switch your batting side at the last second.
The advantage of the switch hit is that, by switching hands, you can target the side with less fielders as most fields are set to combat the natural side of the batsman. Some critics think this gives the batsman an unfair advantage over the bowler but, for the moment, it is within the rules of the game and it certainly makes for some exciting and skilful stroke-making.
Practice makes perfect. You will need to practise this shot a lot before trying it in a match. If you don’t time it right, you could easily swing and miss the ball completely and open yourself up to getting bowled. It also may not be suited to your batting style – some cricketers have a natural ambidextrous nature i.e. they can play both right- and left-handed. Practise getting the change of stance right before facing balls in the practice nets, then start with slower balls until you get the hang of swapping your stance.
Choose the right moment. Going straight for a switch hit in your first over is probably not a wise move – it is still a high-risk shot no matter how much you’ve practised. Wait until you’ve played yourself in and are feeling confident, and only use it when the field conditions suit.
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