JOSH JUMPS AT CHANCE WITH HEAT
IN the space of one week, Josh Kann will go from training with the Brisbane Heat to park cricket and his day job as a cart attendant at Emerald Lakes Golf Club.
If Kann is ever to turn professional, a week like this could be the making of him.
The former The Southport School and Australian under-19 all-rounder has learned a valuable difference between terrorising first grade batsmen and bowlers in Queensland Premier Cricket and starring on the big stage of the Big Bash.
Kann’s T20 form with the Dolphins before the Christmas break brought him onto the Heat’s radar for a look before their New Year’s Day clash with Perth Scorchers.
A text message from the Heat’s manager inviting him to training was all it took to set Kann on a collision course with Chris Lynn, Tom Banton and Ben Cutting.
“I was really surprised,” Kann, 20, said. “I definitely didn’t expect the invitation but it was pretty cool training around those big names.
“I was pretty nervous. I walked into the change room and they were having a team meeting.
“I just sat down and I was so shocked to sit with them. We had a good little fitness session and some fielding out on the field, then we went into the nets.”
Kann didn’t get a chance to show off his batting form – 74 and 54 from his last two innings – instead serving as a live bowling machine to test some of the world’s most prolific T20 batsmen.
“I was trying to hold my own, but it’s T20 and they’re trying to bat like they do in a game,” Kann said. “The margin for error is so much smaller against those guys.
“Ben Laughlin was working with me on some technical stuff and he’s a quality bowler. When I trained with them they put so much time and effort into net sessions.
“It was pretty cool seeing behind the scenes of what goes on and how much preparation goes into one Big Bash game.”
With three wins from four T20s so far, the Dolphins can book a semi-final spot with victory over Toombul today and Norths tomorrow.