CLUB CRICKET LEADS TO BIG BASH CHANCE
Stage bit bigger for Dooley, Brown
THEY’VE matched wits against each other many times in Queensland club cricket in front of a handful of diehards.
But the stage will be slightly bigger when Hurricanes spinner Paddy Dooley and Heat power hitter Josh Brown clash in Wednesday afternoon’s crucial BBL contest at Launceston’s UTAS Stadium.
Both team’s last regular season match is effectively a high stakes mini final, and Dooley and Brown are prime examples of the doors the tournament can open.
Only the most ardent cricket fans knew about them a year ago, when Dooley and Brown were just playing for Wests and Norths respectively in Brisbane.
But Brown, who showed why he was rushed into the Heat side with 62 off just 23 balls in a New Year’s Day win over the Sixers, isn’t surprised by Dooley’s success in Tasmania.
Dooley has taken 19 wickets at an average of 12.84 this season.
“Not really. I would say yes, but facing him the first time in club cricket I had no idea which way the ball was turning,” Brown said.
“We’ve had a few battles against each other and we both have the same manager.”
Dooley played one game for the Heat as a Covid replacement player, his debut BBL match against the Hurricanes at the Gabba in January last year.
It would eventually help him gain a start with Hobart, which he has used to become one of the league’s feel-good stories.
“That was a surreal experience, I was on holiday with my girlfriend’s family in the Yarra Valley and got the call (to debut for Heat) when I was at a winery,” he said.
“They asked if I could get to Geelong in two days. I didn’t play that game, but I played at the Gabba two days later and it was pretty cool.
“It was a big shift that went from enjoying my Christmas break and getting straight into a Big Bash game.
“I’m glad I got the experience with the Hurricanes out of it.
“It’s great for Browny and myself, being in our mid to late twenties, to get an opportunity at this point of our career. It’s fantastic because you just don’t see it that much.
“I know Browney for about the last three years has been the batter you least want to bowl to (in Queensland club cricket), and I think a lot of bowlers would share that sentiment.”
The Hurricanes are seventh on the table heading into the match, and need a big win and other results to go their way if they are to sneak into a top-five finals spot.
Hobart’s top six have struggled in recent matches, and Lindisfarne batter Mac Wright has been rewarded for his strong CTPL form by being brought into the squad at the expense of fast bowler Chris Tremain.
In contrast the Heat have won their last four games, and can seal third spot with another in Launceston.
Brown said he has learned plenty from being part of a Heat top order featuring Test stars Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne and Matt Renshaw.
“They keep it as simple as they can for me, but having those calibre of players is great for learning,” he said.
Dooley claimed 4-16 in Hobart’s last outing in Launceston, an eight-run wicket over defending champions Perth in mid-December.
However they haven’t been able to find the consistency to build on what looked at the time to be a potentially season-building win.
“It’s a number of things at the start of the season we put down a few key catches and at certain stages either our batting or bowling hasn’t really fired,” he said. “The big thing with T20 cricket is it’s pretty high variance, if you don’t seize those moments you don’t win games.”
Wednesday’s match gets underway at 1.40pm.