He is the joint leading wicket-taker of the BBL season and hopes to avenge last year’s painful final defeat
Tristan Lavalette17-Jan-2024Bowlers in T20 cricket are often on a hiding to nothing with the new ball and at the death, but rising Brisbane Heat quick Xavier Bartlett has continually defied those challenging phases during a breakout BBL season.Bartlett is the joint leading wicket taker in BBL13 with 16 wickets from eight games at an average of 13.31. Twelve of those wickets have been in the powerplay or the last four overs of the innings.It speaks volumes of top-placed Heat’s confidence in Bartlett, who shares the new ball alongside fringe Test quick Michael Neser and he is also relied upon at the death.Related
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Bartlett has immaculate upright seam positioning, earning plaudits from a griddy Brett Lee on the broadcast, enabling him to conjure menacing late swing off a good length with the new ball.While an improving slower delivery and cannily mixing his pace has made him a reliable go-to late in the innings. But, ultimately, the key for Bartlett has laid at sticking with his guns and fighting fire with fire.”I definitely concentrate on taking wickets in T20 and try to be aggressive in the powerplay,” Bartlett told ESPNcricinfo. “It is very important because there are a lot of destructive batters, who will sooner or later make an impact. So I think the best way to nullify that is to get wickets.”I try to also stick with that approach when batters are really attacking at the death.”There is still a lot to play out this season, but Bartlett’s destruction of Hobart Hurricanes’ top-order will be hard to top by a new-ball bowler.Defending a lowly 132 at the batting-friendly Gabba, Bartlett tore through Hurricanes starting by dismissing Macalister Wright with a short of a length delivery outside off that curved away late to entice a faint edge.His next ball was even better when he had Sam Hain edging to slip after being squared up by a delivery that threatened to shape in before decking away off the surface.It had the 27,000 Gabba crowd in hysterics with Bartlett conjuring the type of lethal seam bowling that felt like a mirror image of Josh Hazlewood’s mesmerising spell against Pakistan just a couple of days earlier during the SCG Test.The resemblance to Hazlewood was uncanny, but Bartlett also evoked his childhood heroes Dale Steyn and Glenn McGrath. The late outswing was a worthy tribute to Steyn and so too were his animated celebrations.
Not too many fast bowlers go through unscathed with injuries through their career. Hopefully it’s past me now. Everyone says when you get to 25 that your bones start to harden.Xavier Bartlett on coming through back problems
But in a point of difference, he doesn’t blast out batters. The towering Bartlett relies on consistently hitting the channel outside off stump and conjuring steep bounce to devastating effect to draw comparisons with McGrath.”I try to consistently bowl in the 130s[kph]… I’m not as fast as some of the other boys,” Bartlett said. “So I try to put the ball in the right areas and be consistent. I just try to stick to my strengths.”Bartlett’s heroics against Hurricanes did the rounds on social media as the spotlight starts shining on a cricketer who once rose the ranks quickly. Growing up in Adelaide before moving to the Gold Coast, Bartlett was naturally swayed by Australian rules football with his dad, Kym, having played in the South Australian state league.He also was a talented swimmer with a speciality in backstroke and won numerous medals at state level. But cricket was Bartlett’s favourite sport and by his early teens he dedicated himself to pace bowling.At 16, Bartlett started playing in Queensland premier cricket where he was confronted by seasoned batters.”When I was younger, I just tried to bowl at the stumps,” he said. “But when I got older I needed to do more and had to learn how to move the ball.”Mentoring from Ray Frost, a legendary cricket coach on the Gold Coast, helped him learn the craft of swing bowling and his career was underway. He soon represented Australia at the under-19 level before earning a contract with Queensland by the age of 18.But Bartlett’s career has constantly stalled due to a frustrating run of stress fractures in his back. Having turned 25 last month, he’s hoping for a change of fortune.”I have a really good support network with Queensland Cricket and my family,” he said. “Not too many fast bowlers go through unscathed with injuries through their career. Hopefully it’s past me now. Everyone says when you get to 25 that your bones start to harden. Hopefully that comes true.”A fit and firing Bartlett has emerged as a key weapon in Heat’s formidable attack having been on the fringes in recent seasons. He was often named as an X factor player – the now discarded rule where teams could insert the 12th or 13th player on the sheet after the 10th over of the first innings – or replaced for one.He only took one wicket in three BBL regular season matches last season before legspinner Mitchell Swepson’s selection on Australia’s tour of India provided an opening ahead of the knockout final against Melbourne Renegades at Marvel Stadium.”We always knew what he was capable of,” Heat coach Wade Seccombe said. “We got on a roll a bit with the team last year and he didn’t quite give him the game time he probably should have gotten.”Bartlett was picked ahead of veteran quick Mark Steketee and he justified the selection gamble with a three-wicket haul against Renegades to kick-start a strong backend of the domestic summer for him.His progress was noted by the national hierarchy with Bartlett selected in Australia A’s tour of New Zealand last April, where he had the opportunity to bowl with a Dukes ball in swing-friendly conditions.Brisbane Heat were the dominant team during the regular season•Getty ImagesBartlett took four wickets in a four-day match at Lincoln, but he leaked runs in the second innings as New Zealand chased down the victory target of 365.”It definitely swung, but it was also very challenging,” he said. “Sometimes when the ball is swinging so much, you can waste balls if you get your radar wrong.”Bartlett continued to experience those conditions in the UK by spending the offseason playing league cricket for Wargrave.”It was a bit cold,” he laughed. “I learned how to work over a batter over there in their conditions. I’d love to play county cricket and get that opportunity to go over there and pick up a few tips and tricks.”It’s a while off, and there is much work to be done until then, but Bartlett looms as an appealing option for the 2027 Ashes in the UK with Australia’s attack likely to be in transition by then.”I haven’t had communication with the selectors or anything like that. I’m not there yet,” he said. “I’m definitely striving towards playing for Australia, but my short-term goal is just to play some consistent cricket.”Bartlett has been able to finally stay on the park since returning home from the UK with back soreness. It’s been a cautious return having missed the first half of the Shield season and he played as a specialist batter in local cricket.He’s worked relentlessly with Queensland bowling coach Andy Bichel to develop an action that will ease the burden on his body, while honing in on problem areas with his bowling.”Bowling to left-handers has been a focus because I’ve had issues in the past,” he said. “I’ve been trying to swing the ball back in and then also get it going away. It’s about better alignment at the crease to try and make the ball swing back in more potently.”‘I try to consistently bowl in the 130s[kph]… I’m not as fast as some of the other boys’•Getty Images and Cricket AustraliaBartlett’s injuries have also led him to work on his batting. He’s been identified as a potential genuine allrounder, in the vein of Neser, and shown glimpses in the BBL. Most notably, he clubbed 34 off 25 balls against Perth Scorchers to almost snatch a remarkable victory at Optus Stadium in BBL11.”If I could be half as good as him with the bat it would be nice,” grinned Bartlett when asked if he could replicate Neser’s ever-improving batting. “I want to evolve my batting and see where it goes.”In the meantime, Bartlett’s ferocious bowling in the powerplay and guile at the death will be key for Heat to break an 11-year title drought and earn redemption after last season’s heartbreak in the final against Scorchers.Even though they will host the Qualifier on January 19, there is uncertainty over Heat whose batting has been gutted ahead of the finals.The pressure heightens on their brilliant attack which remains intact. But if Bartlett gets on a roll like he did on that damp night in Brisbane against Hurricanes then Heat might well be on the path to a second title.”To get so close last year was quite shattering to be honest,” he said. “There is fire in the belly to go one better. It’s brought us closer together. A lot of us have been playing together for a long time. We’ve taken the learnings from last year and hopefully we’ll be on the other end of the stick this time.”
