From Australian Rules football league to cricket, RCB’s Billy Stanlake found his true calling

The Royal Challengers Bangalore new young joining, Billy Stanlake, has featured in two of the three matches played thus far. In his maiden IPL foray, against the Delhi Daredevils, he finished with two for 29 to help the 2016 runners-up defend a 158-run target.

However, the 22-year-olds’s next outing was not as memorable; he conceded 41 runs in his four overs and Kings XI Punjab got the better of RCB.

But behind 6 feet 7 inches tall cricketer is a soft-spoken guy who is still soaking in the thrill of the Indian Premier League.

Picked at the auctions in February this year for Rs. 30 lakhs, the Australian pacer told Deccan Herald,
“It’s been a great experience so far. I actually never expected to be given a game that early and to play in front of massive home support was really fantastic.”

In Australian domestic cricket, the introvert plays for Queensland, and the Bengaluru pitch naturally would be very different for him. But Stanlake is surprised with how the M Chinnaswamy wicket actually is.“For

“For me it’s all about bowling fast and being aggressive so in terms of that, not much will change wherever I play. I was lucky in my first game since the wicket here (M Chinnaswamy) had plenty of pace and carry, which aided me pretty nicely.”

He also spoke about life before cricket, and how he switched from playing football to becoming a professional cricketer. He made his international debut in January this year against Pakistan.Since his father and brother used to play in the Australian Rules Football League (AFL), Stanlake too followed suit.

Since his father and brother used to play in the Australian Rules Football League (AFL), Stanlake too followed suit.
But he simultaneously played cricket too and it was at 16 that he decided to give more attention to cricket.  “I stopped playing football when I was 16 because cricket became a lot more serious but I still love my football and enjoy it till date. I had to make the decision because I was picked for the Australia under-19 side and you can’t be getting bashed on the football pitch at the same time.”

And like any young newcomer in the IPL, Stanlake’s association with senior players from the world, especially the RCB players – Ab de Villiers, Chris Gayle, Shane Watson, Virat Kohli – has been a great learning curve for the youngster.

“They bring such knowledge to the game in different situations, it’s just fascinating. Also with Dan (Daniel Vettori) he’s been really great. He never puts pressure on you and is always calm in every situation,” he said.