Photo Credit: Melbourne Stars
Newly signed batsmen James Seymour and Ed Newman are eager to learn off some of the best T20 cricketers in the world while part of the Melbourne Stars squad.
Seymour has banged the door down in Victorian Premier Cricket for Essendon and the Victorian Futures League. He joins the club as a replacement player for Haris Rauf, following his call-up to the Pakistan Test squad.
The left-handed opener seized his opportunity off the back of an unbeaten 110 from 97 deliveries against the remaining members of the Victorian first-class side last week.
His scintillating knock for the Victorian Premier Cricket All-Stars at Junction Oval featured five sixes. Seymour says his Big Bash League chance is an encouraging sign for in-form Premier cricketers but knows it isn’t going to be easy to break in for a debut.
“I think it is good for the Victorian Premier players to see that if you are performing well, you can get some opportunities where they present themselves,” Seymour said.
“But obviously there has been a few injuries to the squad so you need a few things to go your way.
“I’ll just be happy to contribute as I can, try and train hard and learn as much as I can from the other batters in the squad.
“Even going to the dining room for breakfast, there’s a lot of big-name players around and certainly it’s a challenge and a big step up from grade cricket that’s for sure.”
Dandenong product Newman, a middle-order batsman who prides himself on his fielding, has been edging closer to a BBL breakthrough, named as an X-Factor player for the Stars’ Melbourne Derby clash on Sunday.
He was brought into the Stars squad as a replacement for Test star Will Pucovski, having lost his Victorian rookie contract at the end of last season.
Being cut was “tough” for Newman but returning to his local club helped him rediscover his passion for the game.
“It probably hit me a bit harder than I thought it would initially, but it’s just been nice to get back out there for Dandenong… just getting my love for the game back and playing with a good bunch of mates down there.
“It’d be awesome to hopefully get a game at some stage but an awesome experience nonetheless and keen to learn as much as I can.”
Stepping straight into the Stars squad after self-isolating was somewhat of a challenge for Newman, but he is keen to soak up as much knowledge as he can during his time with Team Green.
“(I want to) learn from them about tactics, ideas, their thinking as a batsman,” he said.
“When other batsman are at the crease, just learning about things they do, little hints, especially playing at grounds like the MCG which are so big, just learning little nuances about the game that they have picked up over their careers.”
