Xavier Bartlett: Robert Craddock speaks to Australian cricket’s newest fast-bowling hero

Xavier Bartlett is Australia and Queensland’s newest sporting hero after his stunning introduction to ODI cricket — but he could easily have been an SA Redback.

Xavier Bartlett is not the first cricketer to feel nervous about facing Dale Steyn.

But where many rivals at least had a bat in their hands he had just a pen.

The moment came in 2016. To Bartlett, the great South African was the supreme sultan of swing so when they met in a match in Adelaide, when Bartlett was 17 playing for a Cricket Australia XI, the youngster could not let the chance go by.

“I was a bit nervous about asking him for his signature but I was lucky enough to meet him and got a signed shirt which was amazing,’’ Bartlett said.

“It’s framed at my parent’s house at the Gold Coast. But I was not too keen to go out there and face him.

“I really loved the way Dale went about his bowling. He was incredible the way he got that late movement. Ryan Harris as well. Everyone remembers that ball he bowled to Alastair Cook.

“There are so many great bowlers over the years but Steyn was one who really stuck out and also the longevity of the three (Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc) we have at the moment. That’s incredible.’’

16-year-old Xavier Bartlett on the Gold Coast.

Bartlett produced two stunning displays against the West Indies.

It’s not a bad thing in life to follow the lead of a man you admire and Bartlett, in his two international 50 over matches for Australia, has produced the honey sweet late swing which Steyn would have been proud to call his own.

Bartlett’s figures of 4-21 and 4-17 against the West Indies give him a bizarre international bowling average of less than five runs per wicket have seen him marked as a player-in-waiting behind the established guns as he revived the ancient, often underrated art of swing bowling.

“The last week was an amazing experience. There were definitely some nerves floating around but I was told a few days beforehand I was playing so that helped. That early wicket helped me relax.

“Obviously everybody was very welcoming. It is a bit daunting with so many good players around. They got around me after game but also before it to make me feel comfortable. Mitch Marsh sent me a message which I appreciated because I had been at the Allan Border night and his speech was incredible after winning the medal.’’

Xavier Bartlett celebrates a wicket with Sean Abbott.

Bartlett’s profile has soared in the last week as commentators lauded him as cricket’s uncanny X-Man but at age 25 his journey has been oven-baked rather than microwaved.

Bartlett represented Australia in under-19s and learnt his trade in Queensland under the likes of former Sheffield Shield swing bowler Chris Swan and Test bowler Andrew Bichel and has been playing first grade cricket on the Gold Coast with Michael Neser for a decade.

“Ever since I was young it was how I held the ball and I was lucky in that it often swung away. But I worked a lot with Chris Swan and Andy Bichel has been very good for me. Technically and tactically. It is one thing to bowl nice outswing. It is another to make the batters play and hopefully force a mistake from them.’’

Bartlett was born in South Australia and his first sporting hero was his father Kym who played Australia Rules football for Sturt. The family visited the Gold Coast for a holiday, thought “how good is this?’’ and moved there in 2008.

Since he was chosen in the Australian under-19 squad Australian selectors have been quietly watching his progress and are likely to have him in their black book for the next Ashes tour when he will be 28 and in the prime of his career and armed with a Dukes ball that could be his new best friend.

Originally published as Xavier Bartlett: Robert Craddock speaks to Australian cricket’s newest fast-bowling hero