Synchronicity saw to it that Michael Klinger and Will Pucovski played virtual lockstep Sheffield Shield innings in Adelaide and Melbourne on Wednesday. It was the day Pucovski received his first Victorian cap and Klinger his long overdue Australian cap. In the way that Klinger serves both as a model and a caution to Pucovski, and Pucovski as a remembrance for Klinger, their stories chime.
Late last century, Klinger was the proverbial schoolboy sensation. At 15 years old, playing for Prahran's first XI and arriving at the crease at 5/50, he made a century, the most precocious 100 in the competition's history. He captained Australia's Under 19s with Michael Clarke as his deputy and was still a teenager when he made 80 not out on debut for Victoria. You can imagine the fuss. In 18 intervening years, Klinger has made runs prolifically for three states, but not once been summoned by Australia in any form until now, at the age of 36 and married with three kids. He kept his composure until he rang his wife; then the tears flowed.
Klinger being Klinger, he said he was as happy for all the former teammates, coaches and friends who kept his faith. "It almost feels as great a reward for them as well as me," he said. Klinger being Klinger, social media was awash with their hearty congratulations. But Klinger also reserved a thought for the mother he lost 12 years ago, and how proud she would have been.
Pucovski is half Klinger's age. At 15, he made a century for Melbourne's second XI. Two months ago, he dominated the national under 19 championships as no one before him, making four hundreds. Still smoking, he added two more Premier cricket tons immediately, prompting this week's Victorian call-up. These are familiar footsteps, leading to well-known crossroads ... and yet maybe not, for as Klinger noted, the landscape has changed since he set out.
Australia had just thrashed England again, and won the tri-series, so vacancies were scarce. T20 was not yet even a gleam in an English marketing man's eye. There was nowhere much a man could go, except to the non-striker's end.
Now there is. In this time of unique flux, with three Australian squads in work simultaneously, sometimes it seems there is no deeper philosophy in operation than to pick the next player that catches the panel's eye. Cameron White thinks so. Klinger sees more science. First, three squads means more openings. Second, more than the other forms, T20 mandates in-form players, whoever they are, hence the abundance in the Australian team of Scorchers, the team he has just led to a third Big Bash title. Third, almost by default, he has become a vastly experienced T20 player, here and overseas.
"Things have changed. Everyone has had to adapt their game over the last seven or eight years," he said. "Big Bash has become so big. Everyone wants to be involved in it, and wants to be good at it. I've just had to adapt my game. The best thing was going to play in England. It's very hard to get better at T20 in the nets."
This became a day of happy endings and sober beginnings. Pucovski discovered what Klinger knows all too well, that in first-class cricket, no one gives you anything. The mean-ness this day was in part down to the debut in the Shield of the English Duke ball with its exaggerations of seam, swing and, for some, spin. In all three games, the going was hard, runs mostly coming at fewer than three an over. At the MCG, three slips still patrolled in mid-afternoon.
This was Pucovski's exacting first-day terms and conditions. He looked baby-faced, with tuffs of mussed-up teenage hair poking out from under his helmet. NSW's attack was strong, and probing, but Pucovski was not awed. He played from the crease, watchfully, essayed few but selective full-blooded shots, shared 50 with opener Travis Dean and then was out to a gloved hook. In Adelaide, Klinger played a contemporaneous innings for Western Australia of about the same score at the same rate. To tyro and old pro alike, selectors may dispense their favours, but the game does not.
Australia will play T20 internationals against Sri Lanka on Februar7 17 (MCG), February 19 (Kardinia Park) and February 22 (Geelong). The squad is: Aaron Finch (c), Patrick Cummins, James Faulkner, Travis Head, Moises Henriques, Michael Klinger, Chris Lynn (subject to fitness), Tim Paine, Jhye Richardson, Billy Stanlake, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa.