From the pool to the location! The story of Xavier Bartlett — a swimmer turned coach, student of Andy Bichel and conqueror of Virat Kohli | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: When a tall, broad-shouldered, fire-breathing 6-foot-2 Xavier Bartlett grabbed the ball during the second ODI at the Adelaide Oval, most of the world still remembered him as a champion swimmer who had won many accolades. But destiny had other plans. Bartlett fell in love with cricket and swapped the pool for the field, trading water for willow. A talented backstroke specialist, he had once dominated swimming competitions at the national level, winning medals with ease.Just like he used to slice through water, Bartlett tore up the Indian batting line-up in his fifth ODI appearance. He made the game his own, striking first by dismissing Virat Kohli for a duck – silencing the Adelaide Oval – before removing Shubman Gill for nine and adding a third scalp by getting Washington Sundar for 12.

The lanky pacer, who grew up in Adelaide before moving to the Gold Coast, was mentored by former Australian quick Andy Bichel. Under Bichel’s guidance, Bartlett mastered the art of fast bowling within the Australian set-up and quickly became one of the country’s brightest prospects across all three formats.“Xavier has been my student for a long, long time now. I got him when he was 15 and he came through the ranks here at Queensland Cricket. He’s probably ready to bowl a lot of overs. He played for Queensland, and now he plays for Australia – which is pretty special. He swings the ball well and has always had that ability to take the ball back to the right-handed batter,” Bichel said. TimesofIndia.com in an exclusive interview.“Over the years, I spent a lot of time in the IPL and got to know Virat Kohli. Xavier was able to straighten a back, take him down the line and trap him LBW. Maybe Virat’s eyes are turning towards the end of his career – maybe, maybe! But this is Virat Kohli – an absolute legend of the game. The way he plays reminds me of Ricky Ponting – really aggressive, easy on the eyes and energetic on the field. Just like Ricky,” he said.“He has these big shoulders from his swimming background, and that really helps him in bowling. He was at Southport School (TSS) on the Gold Coast – one of the top GPS schools – and he used to win prizes for the school in swimming. Who knows, he could have gone to the Olympics! But his first love is cricket, and he is very good at it. He remains a great athlete, even during recovery sessions he is the best swimmer in the pool,” Bichel said.

Andy Bichel and Xavier Bartlett (Photo credit: Special Arrangements)

“He’s got a bit of ability with the bat too – a bit like Andy Bichel, you could say (laughs)! I’ve always liked my batting, and so has Xavier. Hopefully we’ll see a bit more of his batting as he progresses in international cricket,” he added.Like any young aspiring cricketer, 15-year-old Bartlett, accompanied by his father Kym Bartlett, went to meet Bichel and train under him.Bartlett’s father had always admired Bichel and wanted his son to learn the art of fast bowling from the Australian legend.“I asked him to do a few deliveries, and he got money straight away. I was at Queensland Cricket, working in the Pathways program and preparing for the U19 championships in Hobart. He made a magnificent swing even as a teenager – and he still does. Always smiling, full of energy. My first impressions of him haven’t changed: he’s a leader and everyone wants to be with him,” Bichel recalls.“Xavier was selected from the Gold Coast, a talented youngster and he came in straight away and led the attack. Nathan McSweeney was captain, and the two formed a great bond. Xavier had that presence, those big shoulders from his swimming background and that natural leadership quality,” said the former Australian leader.

Andy Bichel and Xavier Bartlett (Photo credit: Special Arrangements)

So what makes Bartlett so special?Bichel explains.“He throws the new ball forward – and that too, consistently. He is lethal with the new ball and can lead a quick attack. That’s one of the great things about Xavier. He has a good bouncer when he needs to use it as well. Mixing really good outside swing with the occasional short ball – that’s pretty special. He just needs to keep working on his consistency. He’s one of those guys who can play up front with the new ball, during the build-up. power, and at the death – especially in limited-overs cricket,” Bichel said.“He’s got some really good skills in that area. He’s been working hard on his slower ball – the back-of-the-hand one, like Ian Harvey did in my era. Xavier has really developed it recently. He’s got a few tricks up his sleeve, but ultimately it’s his ability to swing the new ball consistently that causes hitters problems,” he said.

Australia have been accustomed to sticking to their tempo attack for years. They had Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie and Michael Kasprowicz, before Brett Lee joined the pack. Later came the era of Mitchell Johnson and Peter Siddle.Now they have Mitchell Starc, Patrick Cumminsand Josh Hazlewood is leading the charge.So how difficult is it for a fast bowler to break into the Australian team?

Andy Bichel and Xavier Bartlett (Photo credit: Special Arrangements)

“It was a special time, with McGrath and Warne leading the way. No regrets. It was an honor to be part of that team,” Bichel said.“Brett Lee was young and not there to begin with, so I spent a few years with McGrath and Gillespie – we caused some trouble! Then Brett came along and pushed me – no big deal, we all saw what he could do. It was frustrating at times; I may have missed a few more international matches, but I still played around 100 matches for Australia,” he recalls.“It’s a bit easier now than before because of the T20s and the amount of 50-over cricket being played overseas. Starc, Cummins and Hazlewood’s workloads are high, so there are more opportunities for guys like Xavier to be in and around that group. You sometimes feel for someone like Scott Boland, but he’ll get his chance – and that could open up opportunities for Xavier in Tests as well,” explained the former leader.“For Xavier, being with Pat Cummins, Hazlewood and Starc is priceless. He’s learning from the legends: how to go about it, how to handle five days of cricket and how to cope on and off the field. It happened for me, it happened for Brett, and now it’s happening for Xavier. It’s great for the future of Australian cricket,” Bichel said.