by Abhai Sawkar Sometimes, it just takes a few pivotal moments to ascend to the limelight. Such has been the story for the Australian batting all-rounder Chris Sabburg. Ashes fans remember his catch that dismissed Kevin Pietersen at the 'Gabba during the opening game of the 2013-14 series. And to this day, that has been an event to cherish. “It was an exciting feeling to catch KP. I think it may have been his 100th Test match as well, so I’m sure he wanted to do well. It worked out well because my dad said before the test to try and catch or run him out and here we are.” While he’s known for his agility and prowess as a fielder, Sabburg is a powerful left-handed batsman who can bowl handy offspin, too. Hailing from the state of Queensland, Sabburg is the nephew of former Queensland bowler Dirk Tazelaar and the cousin of the former international seamer for Australia, Andy Bichel. Sabburg created a solid impression in T20 grade cricket in late 2012, and that paved the way for him to bag the final spot in the Brisbane Heat’s contract list for the Big Bash League. It was a fitting reward for a talented youngster earnestly seeking his maiden big break. The Heat won their first BBL that season, and that earned them a spot in the Champions League, a tournament involving the top domestic T20 teams from different parts of the world. Considering the fact that he’d never gone to India before, the upcoming event in late 2013 was going to be very intriguing as well as uniquely challenging. “In previous seasons in one-day and T20 club cricket, I had done pretty well with bat, ball and in the field so I’m sure the Brisbane Heat selectors knew I could offer something in all three facets of the game. I was also pretty lucky that the Heat at the time had the 18th contract picked from the Brisbane First Grade competition, so I got that both the second and third year they did that. Making the Champions League was super exciting. To know that I could go and possibly play at the biggest stage was cool. And I’ve never been to India before so it was great to experience the country as well.” After a few fleeting chances in the 2012-13 BBL, Sabburg was named in the 15-man Brisbane Heat squad for the 2013 Champions League T20 in India. Interestingly, he didn’t get a chance to bat or bowl in the three games he played during the BBL, but getting chosen for a much bigger event was surreal. The Heat were grouped alongside the Chennai Super Kings, the Sunrisers Hyderabad, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Titans, a South African franchise team. Despite the fact that it was quite a forgettable tournament because they lost three games and their fourth was washed out, Sabburg still savors the time spent. He scored a handy 7-ball 19 against the Titans in a tense low-scorer, but the Heat came up agonizingly short by 4 runs. “Playing in the Champions League was a very crazy experience. The crowds in India are something else. We played in MS Dhoni’s hometown of Ranchi against the Chennai Super Kings and they didn’t stop yelling out his name the entire game! Unfortunately we didn’t win a game but came close in one game against one of the South African teams [the Titans], which I nearly got us home in but wasn’t to be.” Following the CLT20, Sabburg featured in another three games during the 2013-14 BBL, but that was it. Notwithstanding, the experience as part of a victorious team as well as playing with and against some of the big names in T20 cricket was second to none. “It’s such an awesome experience to be a part of and I’m very grateful that Boof [Darren Lehmann] was our coach. He made my time a very pleasurable one. He’s a great coach, a really good people person, and a super fun guy to be around so that was great. Game and performance wise, I found it tough going at the time but I enjoyed every minute of it.” At the same time, this hasn’t deterred Sabburg from continuing to persist and take full advantage of game time. Last season, he decided to relocate west in the hopes of boosting his chances to re-enter the top-level domestic scene. Previously, he used to bat in the middle order, but now he’s very much at home as an opener for University Cricket Club. He made it to the record books when he became the second-fastest from his team to cross the 1,000-run threshold in first grade cricket. He’s widely been tipped as a game changer and an aggressive customer at the top of the order. “I’m currently living and playing first grade cricket in Perth. I moved over from Brisbane prior to the 2018-19 season for a change of scenery and to try my luck in getting a contract with Western Australia and the Scorchers. I have played a few games for the WA second XI team and also going pretty well for my University Cricket Club team in the premier competition. I’m working hard on trying to gain a BBL contract but who knows? I’m keeping my fingers crossed.” It’s been just a couple of seasons with a new team, but there’s been ample progress for Sabburg. He may not have been snapped up by any of the BBL franchises for the most recent tournament, but the optimism and self-motivation have remained intact. “We’re playing finals cricket this weekend so two more wins and we’ll play in the grand final, so that’s currently the big focus for me. Getting runs for University CC to put us in good spots to defend a score or chase down a total would be great. I’m opening the batting so I'm looking to make big runs and bat deep into the late hours of the day. Off the field, I’ll keep working hard on life balance and enjoy my time with my lovely girlfriend.” Right now, it’s most important for Sabburg to remain a consistent figure at club level, and the recently completed 2019-20 season has been a breakthrough period. And soon enough, the diligence will pay plenty of dividends.
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September 2020
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