FORMER Victorian batsman Nick Jewell stands between Tallangatta and a date at the MCG.
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Jewell, who played 62 first class matches, headlines the Sorrento outfit visiting Tallangatta’s Rowen Park on Sunday in the Cricket Victoria Regional Big Bash.
Tallangatta captain Matt Armstrong said the Bushies were excited by the prospect of playing at Australia’s biggest sporting stadium.
“Jewell opens the batting and hits the ball pretty hard,” he said.
“He’s a big tall guy and he whacks it down the ground pretty nicely.
“There’s an element of unknown about Sorrento, though.
“All the games we’ve played in this competition we haven’t really known what we are going to get.”
Armstrong hoped the Bushies’ turf wicket experience would play to their advantage against the synthetic-pitch outfit.
He identified English speedster James Weighell and all-rounder Brett Allan as key players for the Bushies in the twenty20 format.
“James has played quite a lot of T20 in England,” he said.
“He’s tailor-made for that short-form cricket. He bowls quick, can hit the ball hard and is a pretty good fielder.
“That’s pretty-much the blueprint for the modern-day T20 cricketer.
“Brett Allan goes under the radar as well. He’s made 49 and 50 in the last two matches and bowled pretty well with his spinners.
“He hits the ball really hard and can be hard to contain because he hits the ball in strange spots.”
Armstrong said, as a captain, he enjoyed twenty20 cricket.
He, along with Tallangatta coach Trent Ball, played in the Border Bullets’ Cricket NSW Regional Bash victory at the SCG in December.
“Twenty overs is not long so you’ve got to move pretty quick and if they do something different you’ve got to counter it,” he said.
“It’s exciting to be captaining in that shorter form of cricket because you can have a much bigger influence with the way you manoeuvre the field and the plans you put in place.
“Every ball is a contest whereas in an 80-over game you might be setting up a five or ten-over block of play.
“If you win 60 or 70 of the balls of the innings then you probably win the game.
“We will be flexible with whatever we do, be it batting, bowling or fielding.”
If they salute on Sunday, the Bushies will play Gisborne or Doutta Stars in the final at the MCG on Thursday February 25.
The match starts at 1pm.