Q&A with rising Canberra cricketer Blake Macdonald

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Up-and-coming Canberra cricketer Blake Macdonald announced himself to the Australian domestic scene on his ACT Comets debut in 2015 aged just 17-years-of-age, walking to the crease with his side in peril to grind out an unbeaten 55 to help salvage a draw. He was also named in the 2016/17 U19 National Championships team of the tournament that Cricket Australia’s National Talent Manager, Test great Greg Chapell, said was picked in favour of potential first-class cricketers.
I caught up with the promising Comets and Western District-UC batsman to talk about how his cricket is going and the goals he has set.
 
Q: As a cricketer moving up the ranks, what is your ultimate dream or goal?
A: I think for any cricketer that’s going along a pathway, the goal is to play for Australia one day … There’s a clear pathway there, which I think is really good. Coming through ACT there’s a clear pathway forward. There’s a lot of goals you want to tick off along the way.
 
Q: What is your greatest asset as a batsman?
A: I’ve got shots to play all around the ground. I guess for me the challenge is to have a smart game plan and try to work out the right time to play those shots and pace myself sometimes.
 
Q: Was there ever a moment you remember where you said, ‘I want to make the big-time in cricket’?
A: I’m a pretty competitive person, so probably as soon as I started playing cricket I went, ‘I want to play for Australia’. I guess that’s the thought when you’re younger. I guess as you start progressing through the programs, and you see that pathway in front of you and the potential to play professional cricket, you start to take it a bit more seriously and it starts to become a realistic opportunity if you perform well.
 
Q: What’s it like playing cricket for Wests-UC?
A: This is my third year in the first-grade team. Wests is an awesome club. They do so much for the juniors and there’s a lot of experienced guys around to help you out, in the team and coaching and around the club. It’s a really great environment to be a part of and I consider myself very lucky to a part of the club.
 
Q: What are your short-term goals?
A: For me at the moment it’s about putting together really good grade cricket performances and taking my opportunities in Futures League … That’s going to open up doors for me.