WHACK!
‘Whatcha doin’?’ asked Zoe.
WHACK!
‘Practising,’ said Will. ‘You?’
‘Same. Want me to bowl some at you?’ she asked. ‘I mean, if you can handle it?’
CRACK!!!
Will pounded the next delivery straight back to Zoe, who managed to catch it one-handed before it took out her face. She looked at the ball and then gave Will a playful glare.
‘Bring it,’ said Will.
‘Oh, trust me, I will.’ Zoe turned off the bowling machine and pushed it to the side.
The first delivery was a good-length ball right on leg stump but it lacked pace. Will played it easily with a straight drive that zoomed past Zoe, forcing her to chase after it.
‘Lucky shot,’ said Zoe, picking up another ball. This time she bowled a little fuller.
Will blocked it into the ground, then rolled it back to her with the tip of his bat. ‘So where’s your boyfriend?’ he asked. ‘Why aren’t you practising with him?’
‘Huh? Oh, yeah, that’s not really happening anymore,’ said Zoe, twirling the ball in her fingers. ‘We both want to focus on our cricket.’
‘Oh,’ said Will. ‘That’s good.’
Zoe raised an eyebrow.
‘Good that you want to focus on your cricket, I mean,’ Will added quickly.
Zoe bowled another ball, and this one was much quicker. It caught Will off guard, sliding past his bat and onto the metal stumps.
CLANK!
‘Yeah!’ shouted Zoe. ‘Start walking, Willster!’
‘Good ball,’ said Will.
Zoe stopped her celebratory dance and stared at him. ‘What’s up? You seem a bit more pathetic than usual.’
Will managed a half-smile. ‘Nothing. Just … wondering what my chances are of making the state team when I can’t even pick your pace ball.’
‘Don’t worry, you won’t have to play against me.’ Zoe laughed. ‘Really, you’ll be fine. You’re not that bad.’
‘Easy for you to say. You’ve got no worries making the girls’ state team,’ said Will.
‘Yeah, and you know why?’
‘Your uncle is a selector.’ Will smiled to show he was just kidding.
‘Ha ha. Wrong!’ said Zoe. ‘The reason is, I was born to play cricket for Australia and I won’t settle for less. Once you know that, you don’t have to worry about anything else.’
‘Yeah, but you dominate everyone. I just don’t think I’m that good.’ Will shrugged.
‘Will, that’s your problem,’ said Zoe. ‘You’ve gotta go hard or go home. What’s it gonna be?’
‘Um … go home?’ Will replied with a smirk.
Zoe shook her head at Will and smiled. ‘Idiot.’ She threw the ball hard at Will and he just managed to catch it. ‘Get up here, you’re bowling.’
Will looked at the ball in his hand. ‘I can do that.’
A CHAT WITH MAXI
After bowling a few decent off-spinners, Will suddenly realised he was late for training. Then he noticed that everyone else in the nets were girls.
‘Hey, where’s the boys’ squad? We were supposed to start five minutes ago.’
Zoe rolled her eyes. ‘Didn’t you check the board? The boys are on the outside nets today.’
Will groaned. ‘Thanks for telling me!’
‘That’s okay,’ Zoe replied happily.
‘No, I mean … Never mind, I have to go. See ya!’ Will grabbed his cricket bag and sprinted to the lift but changed his mind and took the stairs instead. He leapt down them two at a time, bolted across the centre lobby, burst through the doors and ran across the lawn.
He was puffing and panting by the time he reached the outside nets and quite surprised to find Glenn Maxwell standing in front of the players.
‘Sorry I’m late,’ said Will.
Maxi narrowed his eyes at him and sighed. Will’s stomach dropped and he was about to launch into another apology when Maxi cracked up laughing. ‘No worries, we’re just getting started. Have a seat.’
Will laughed, relieved, then quickly found a spot next to Shavil on the grass. Shavil was so excited he looked as if he were about to burst.
‘Maxiiii!’ he whispered under his breath but loud enough for Glenn to look up and smile.
Will tried to stay cool, even though he was every bit as excited as Shavil. He couldn’t believe that he’d almost skipped training.
‘Okay,’ began Glenn. ‘First, I’m going to run through when to make use of the switch hit.’
Both Will and Shavil’s eyes lit up. Maxi was the master of switch-hitting, especially after his recent IPL season, where he’d hit some amazing sixes off switch hits and reverse sweeps.
‘T20 is all about scoring, and the switch hit helps to increase your ability to score off any delivery,’ said Glenn. ‘The trick is to know when to use these shots. If done well, they can help you intimidate the bowler and the field. This can lead to other scoring opportunities as they start to second-guess whether you’re going to play an orthodox stroke or mix it up. Of course, you need to prepare early. I’ve been playing these shots since I was a kid because I often used to bat left-handed. Like anything, the more you practise, the more confident you’ll get. So let’s have a go.’
The boys formed a line and Glenn bowled to each of them, one at a time, giving them advice on their form and stroke play. Then the boys paired up.
‘Need a partner, Shavil?’ asked Brock. ‘I’m free and I’m not bad on switch-hitting if you need some advice.’
‘That’s okay,’ replied Shavil. ‘I’m with Will.’
Will pretended not to notice but, inside, his stomach did a double somersault with a half-pike twist. It wasn’t that he enjoyed seeing Brock get rejected – well, maybe it was just a little – but it was more that Shavil had stuck with him.
As he and Shavil practised their switch-hitting between bad jokes and teasing, it dawned on Will that they might only get one more opportunity to play together. Better make the most of it now, he thought. It’ll be The Brock and Shavil Show once they make it to state.
At the end of the session, Will and Shavil stayed behind to help Glenn pick up the balls from around the nets.
‘We watched you in the IPL series,’ said Will. ‘You were amazing, Maxi.’
Glenn smiled. ‘Thanks, Will. I did okay.’
‘Ninety off 36 balls. That’s not okay – that’s incredible!’ said Shavil. ‘What’s the secret?’
‘Yeah, how do you stay so calm out there?’ asked Will.
‘I guess I just go out there and try to enjoy the moment,’ said Glenn. ‘There’s no sense putting pressure on yourself to do something amazing. Those things tend to happen when you’re relaxed and focused.’
‘Maybe that’s my problem,’ said Will. ‘I keep trying to do something awesome so I get picked as an opener but then it always goes wrong.’
‘Well, why do you want to open?’ asked Glenn.
‘I’ve always been an opener,’ replied Will.
‘I was, too, when I was a junior. I used to love hitting out with one of my best mates at the other end, we really pushed each other.’ Glenn looked at Will and Shavil. ‘I can see you guys have that openers’ bond too.’
‘When we’re not running each other out,’ said Shavil.
Glenn chuckled. ‘Yeah, that’s never good.’
‘Why didn’t you stay an opener?’ Will asked, intrigued.
‘In order to get better as a cricketer, I had to expand my game,’ explained Glenn. ‘Sometimes you have to find out how to fit into the team, not how to make the team fit you.’
‘Kinda like a “team above self” thing,’ said Will.
‘Yeah. It might feel like you’re competing with all the other guys for a place in the team but, really, you just have to compete with one person – yourself.’
Will remembered that Brock had said much the same thing after the first game. He’d been so busy trying to compete with Broc
k that he hadn’t really stopped to think that Brock might be the best opener for the team. ‘So how do I fit into the team?’ Will asked.
Glenn thought for a minute, looking down at Will’s hopeful face. ‘Don’t put yourself into a box. If you want to get better at this level, you have to keep growing your game. I saw you bowl a few to Shavil earlier, you’ve got a good off-spin action. Maybe you should try working on your bowling as well as your batting.’
‘You mean, become an all-rounder?’ asked Will.
‘Why not?’ Glenn smiled. ‘Sometimes, when you find yourself in a box, you just need to take a swing and smash that box to pieces.’
‘He is good at smashing things,’ said Shavil.
‘Thanks, Maxi,’ Will said gratefully. ‘You’ve been a big help.’
‘No worries, mate. I’ll be working on my bowling tomorrow morning if you want to stop by,’ offered Glenn. ‘We could work on your off-spinners as well.’
‘Wow, okay. That would be awesome!’ Will could hardly contain his excitement at the prospect of getting spinning tips from Glenn Maxwell.
Glenn noticed the large brown eyes of Shavil looking up at him expectantly. ‘Of course, you can come too if you like, Shavil.’
‘Well … I’ll have to see if I’m free first,’ Shavil said casually.
Both Will and Glenn looked at him with puzzled faces.
‘Kidding! I will totally be there,’ said Shavil.
The others laughed. ‘You’re a goof ball,’ said Will, shaking his head.
Shavil shrugged. ‘I try my best.’
SURPRISE DELIVERY
When Will got home from training, he felt so good he cleaned his entire room. Then he did all his homework and helped with the washing up.
‘You’re acting very strange, Will,’ said his mum. She checked his temperature. ‘Is this like one of those sci-fi movies? Have you been replaced by an alien that’s going to burst out of your stomach at any moment and spray its acidic blood all over my kitchen floor?’
‘No, Mum, I’m just in a good mood. Maxi’s going to give me some off-spin tips tomorrow,’ said Will.
‘What a turnaround from the teenage zombie who was languishing in bed earlier today,’ Will’s dad called from the living room. ‘Say hi to Maxi for me. Ask him if he has any golf tips. I hear he’s one of the best golfers in the Aussie team.’
‘Dad, I’m not going to ask him about golf when he’s helping me with my cricket. Also, I’m not a teenager yet!’ Will stated emphatically.
‘Only one week to go,’ his dad teased. ‘Then you really will be a teenage zombie! Or a werewolf, once all the hair kicks in.’
‘Ew,’ said Will. ‘Gross.’
‘Have you decided what you want yet?’ asked his mum.
‘I’ve got that one sorted, love,’ his dad said with a wink.
Will eyed him suspiciously. ‘I’m not fussed, Mum. I’m more worried about the game. They’re announcing the state team the same day.’
‘Could be a nice birthday surprise,’ said his mum.
Will was unconvinced. ‘Or a terrible one.’
The next day, Will went straight to the academy after school. He and Shavil had decided to do some strength and conditioning exercises before meeting up with Glenn. They worked out in the gym and did some weights, cycling and boxing before doing a few laps in the pool where they mostly just splashed each other and made the other one bump into the lane rope.
When they headed back upstairs to the bowling lanes, Glenn was already there practising his own bowling.
‘All right, boys, you ready to mix it up with Maxi?’
‘Totally,’ said Will.
‘I’m ready and he’s will-ing,’ said Shavil. ‘Get it? Willing!’
Glenn nodded. ‘Yeah, I get it.’
‘Because his name is Will,’ added Shavil.
Will groaned. ‘Just stop.’
‘Okay, Will, come and show us what you’ve got.’ Glenn threw Will the ball and got him to slowly run through each of his spin deliveries.
Glenn made some suggestions about Will’s grip and suggested that he vary the height of his arm for different deliveries, to toss the bowl higher for more flight and to trick the bowler with the pace of the ball. Then he asked Will and Shavil to bowl to each other, practising the action and release.
‘You really need to use those two fingers to rip the ball and get it spinning more,’ advised Glenn. ‘Also, I think you may need to add another delivery into rotation. You need a surprise delivery.’
Most spin bowlers have a few deliveries to keep the batsmen guessing. Will had three: his stock ball, which was the traditional off-break; the topspinner, which he was still trying to perfect; and the arm ball or straighter delivery.
‘Maybe you could try the doosra or the carrom ball,’ suggested Glenn.
‘What’s that?’ asked Shavil.
‘Yeah, I haven’t heard of that one,’ said Will.
‘It’s a bit like a doosra, but you have to use your finger and thumb to flick it,’ explained Glenn. ‘It’s not as hard for a finger spinner like yourself to learn. Ravi Ashwin bowled a lot of them at me in India and I got good at picking them. I told him, “You keep bowling that carrom ball, and I’m gonna keep hitting ’em for six.”’
Will and Shavil looked at him dubiously.
Glenn smiled. ‘But I’m sure if you use it sparingly it will catch the batsmen by surprise.’
He showed Will the grip and angle he needed to bowl at. The carrom ball was different to off-spin or leg spin. It was almost like a third type of spin bowling, which made it less predictable and harder to play because it could spin either way.
Will gave it a try.
‘Not bad,’ said Glenn. ‘You’ve got to get it to skid up onto the stump. It’s going to take a lot of practice,’ he added. ‘Most bowlers take months to perfect a new delivery, and you’ve got less than a week.’
Will nodded. ‘Guess I’ll just have to practise twice as hard and twice as long,’ he said, and that’s exactly what he did.
He went home and practised up against their garage wall, where he’d drawn the out line of the stumps in chalk. Will practised every afternoon for hours. He didn’t stop until his fingers were numb and blistered and the sun had disappeared behind the rooftops of the neighbouring houses.
Will even read up on the history of the carrom ball and watched delivery after delivery on YouTube. He was surprised to learn that it had originally been bowled by Victorian bowler Jack Iverson way back in the 1940s, but it was Indian and Sri Lankan bowlers who had reintroduced it and named it the ‘carrom ball’ because it was like the action used in a popular Indian game called Carrom.
Will knew he had to get this surprise delivery spot-on, otherwise the only surprise would be him getting smashed for six. The other problem was that Will wasn’t one of the regular bowlers in the City A squad. It was possible that he wouldn’t even get a chance to bowl again and all this hard work would have been for nothing.
Whatever happens, thought Will, it’s not going to be another boring birthday.
The fact that he was turning thirteen tomorrow didn’t fill him with confidence. He just hoped that thirteen would prove lucky for him out there on the cricket pitch when he once again faced off against Killer.
BIRTHDAY BASH
Will was woken the next morning to the sound of very loud and very flat singing. He opened his eyes to find his dad a few inches from his head.
‘HAPPPEEE BIR FFFDAAAY, DEAR WILLL-Y-UM! HAPPEE BIRFFFDAAAY TOOOO-A-YOOOO!’
‘Go away,’ groaned Will, clamping his pillow over his head.
‘Gary, cut it out. It’s six in the morning – you’ll wake the whole neighbourhood,’ scolded Will’s mum.
‘Can’t I celebrate the thirteenth anniversary of the birthing day of my one and only son?’ protested Will’s dad. ‘Come on, Will, present time.’
Will reluctantly removed the pillow and sat up in bed. His dad handed him one of three w
rapped presents. The first, despite the wrapping paper, was quite easy to identify.
‘A new bat,’ said Will. ‘Thanks, Dad.’
‘Ah, it’s not just any bat … Go on, unwrap it,’ urged his dad.
Will tore at the paper, wrangling it from the grasp of metres of sticky tape.
‘Why did you need to use all that tape?’ asked Will’s mother.
‘The boy’s almost a man now,’ his father answered, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. ‘We can’t make it too easy for him.’
‘A Kookaburra Firebird!’ exclaimed Will. ‘This is the same bat that –’
‘Glenn Maxwell uses,’ finished his dad.
‘Thanks, Dad,’ said Will, marvelling at the beautiful bat. ‘It’s so cool.’
‘Maybe Maxi can sign it for you. What do ya reckon?’
‘Yeah, maybe.’
Will’s mum handed him another present. ‘Just something small for your sweet tooth.’
Will tore open the paper to reveal a party bag of fun-sized Mars bars. ‘Thanks, Mum!’
She planted a kiss on his head. ‘Happy thirteenth, Will.’
‘And one more from me.’ Will’s dad handed him a small parcel.
Will opened it excitedly. ‘Deodorant?’ he moaned. ‘Dad!’
His father shrugged. ‘We can’t have you smelling bad on your birthday.’
‘I like the bat better,’ Will grumbled.
‘Well, now you’ve got the best bat in the world. All you need to do is get out there and score a century for City A!’
Will laughed. ‘Yeah, easy.’
His dad ruffled his hair. ‘It’s your birthday, who can possibly stand in your way?’
‘If it isn’t my old roomies. I’ve missed you guys!’ called a familiar threatening voice as Shavil and Will jogged out to the middle of the oval to open the first innings. It was Killer McKinnon and he was standing right in the middle of their path.
‘Um, Darren, you’re kind of in the way there,’ said Shavil.
‘Ohhh, so sorry. I didn’t realise,’ replied Darren. He remained still, forcing Will and Shavil to jog around him.
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