With Australia boasting a production line of star quicks, Xavier Bartlett was not even considering playing international cricket this summer.
But the 25-year-old Queenslander is now a leading candidate for Australia’s white-ball attacks after having a debut to remember.
Bartlett (4-17) claimed the second-best figures by an Australian man on ODI debut to be player of the match in the eight-wicket rout of the West Indies at the MCG on Friday night.
Incredibly, it was Bartlett’s first 50-over game at any level since September 2022.
He has impressed for Queensland in the Sheffield Shield and was a key member of Brisbane Heat’s drought-breaking BBL title win this season.
“Oh, definitely not,” said Bartlett when asked if he thought he would be playing for Australia this summer.
“We’ve got so many great fast bowlers at the moment.
“Obviously, (Mitchell) Starc, (Josh) Hazlewood and (Pat) Cummins are probably the top three to ever do it for Australia or in that conversation.
“Then I only really got my chance through Jhye Richardson’s injury and Nathan Ellis was injured as well.
“There’s definitely a long list of people in front of me.
“But I’ve just got to keep trying to do my best for Queensland, and if I get an opportunity at the higher level just try and take it and just sort of almost learn as much as I can as well along the way.”
Making his rise even more memorable is Bartlett was injured at the start of the summer.
“I was injured at the start of this year and didn’t have a chance to play any domestic cricket, which was a frustrating time,” he said.
“But you can kind of see the light at the end of the tunnel and you’ve just got to keep trying to work hard because these days don’t happen very often.”
West Indies captain Shai Hope admitted he knew about Bartlett before the match apart from watching some vision.
“Not the quickest, but as we see you don’t need pace to be disruptive,” Hope said.
“He was very, very consistent.”
BEST FIGURES BY AN AUSTRALIAN MAN ON ODI DEBUT
1. Tony Dodemaide 5-21 v Sri Lanka 1988
2. Xavier Bartlett 4-17 v West Indies 2024
3. Stuart MacGill 4-19 v Pakistan 2000
4. Carl Rackemann 4-39 v New Zealand 1983
5. Xavier Doherty 4-46 v Sri Lanka 2010
