Five Premier players picked for Cricket Victoria team heading to Guyana for T20 tournie

Five Victorian Premier cricketers, including impressive Melbourne recruit Farzan Chowna, are ready to take on the world’s best in a new T20 tournament in Guyana.

Farzan Chowna in a promo pic ahead of his stint in the Darwin and Districts Cricket Competition this year. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Farzan Chowna had a surprise when Cricket Victoria head of male performance David Hussey pulled him aside at training at the Junction Oval two weeks ago.

“How would you like to go to Guyana for the new T20?’’ Hussey asked.

Chowna, 20, did not know anything about the tournament. But once Hussey gave him the details, he could not say yes quickly enough.

The Melbourne top-order player says he immediately saw an opportunity to learn from top-line players in a format where he’s more a work in progress than a proven product.

Chowna will be part of a Cricket Victoria team entered in the Global Super League T20 from November 26 to December 7. The Vics will meet the Guyana Amazon Warriors (Caribbean Premier League), Lahore Qalandars (Pakistan Super League), Hampshire CCC (English T20 Blast), and Rangpur Riders (Bangladesh Premier League).

Chowna notes the calibre of players involved.

“Guyana have Shai Hope, Shimron Hetmyer, Moeen Ali and some of the other teams are very, very strong,’’ he says.

“It will be a great experience. I’ll try to be a sponge when I’m there and learn as much as I possibly can in the two weeks. It’s really exciting.’’

Farzan Chowna galloped through the grades at Essenon before crossing to Melbourne this season. Picture: Andy Brownbill

The Vics will have a mix of Big Bash League and San Francisco Unicorns players, including internationals Corey Anderson and Scott Edwards, Melbourne Renegade Jon Wells, England and former Melbourne Stars and Renegades player Joe Clarke, and Premier cricketers Chowna, Max Birthisel, Callum Stow, Blake Macdonald and Jackson Smith.

Chowna is one of Victoria’s “targeted rookie’’ players, being brought in after a run-filled 2023-24 Premier season for Essendon. He hit 672 runs, with centuries against Melbourne and Melbourne University, as well as four half-centuries.

But ahead of this season he left the Bombers and joined the Demons.

It shook Essendon up to lose an emerging player it had steered from the fourths through to the Vic Metro Under 19 team and into First XI cricket.

“I just wanted to go to Melbourne because I know what a great club it is and all the resources it has and the brilliant people,’’ Chowna says.

“I want to become the best player I can. I thought Melbourne was the place I could do that. A big part of the move was being around good players who have been in the comp for a long time. ‘Jimmy’ (former Essendon captain James Seymour) taught me so much. Without him I reckon I’d still be in third grade. He helped me so much, particularly about training with purpose. At Melbourne now I’m asking guys who have been around how they go about it. I’ve learnt a lot from that, and watching them. Jack Harper’s an absolute gun in the middle overs against spin and then Blake Thomson is the same against the new ball.’’

Footscray youngster Max Birthisel is also making the trip. Picture: George Salpigtidis

It turned out Chowna’s new and old clubs met in Round 2.

The right-hander hit 56 not out off 85 balls as the Demons claimed a first-innings victory.

In the following round he cracked an unbeaten 110 against Kingston Hawthorn. It meant that after three hands he was averaging 179 for Melbourne.

Little wonder Dees coach Ben Vague is chewing ears about his new chum.

“I’m trying to be consistent in the red-ball game and make big runs and be a reliable top-order player,’’ Chowna says.

“With the T20 and white-ball stuff I’ve done a lot of work in the last 12 months on my power hitting, because that’s the way the game’s going forward and it’s not something I’ve been good at.

“It takes time but I’m starting to get a bit better. That’s why I’m looking forward to this (Guyana) and seeing what my role is in T20.

“I’m not a big guy. I’m not going to be like Marcus Stoinis and hit it over the rope all the time. Jono Wells is in the team and I’ll be trying to learn a lot off him. He’s probably the prototype T20 player I’m trying to become. It’s an awesome opportunity.’’

Chowna is hoping to learn plenty from Jonathan Wells, pictured in action for the Adelaide Strikers.

Chowna adds: “A lot of my training in the last four or five years has been around building a good base, good defence and red-ball batting. I’m trying to expand on that now.’’

Born in Australia to Indian parents, Chowna came out of Caroline Springs Cricket Club.

Last season former Sri Lankan Test match captain Dimuth Karunaratne played a few games for the club. When president Anthony Rice was contacted about it, he was just as eager to talk about Chowna as he was Karunaratne, detailing his progress at Essendon.

“Very, very good people,’’ Chowna, who is studying commerce part-time, says of Caroline Springs. “They still help me out now. They’ve been great.’’

The Cricket Victoria team will be coached by Renegades performance manager Wade Seccombe.

Its first match will be against the Guyana Amazon Warriors on Friday, November 29 at Guyana National Stadium in Providence.

Originally published as Five Premier players picked for Cricket Victoria team heading to Guyana for T20 tournie