Gunnedah's Twenty20 final on Friday night will be sprinkled with star dust, with Test vice-captain Josh Hazlewood arriving in town for the occasion.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The fast bowler, who will play for his boyhood club Old Boys in Tamworth on Saturday, will preside over the opening of the nets at Kitchener Park ahead of the T20 final at the same venue.
You can't get much bigger than that.
- Brad Gander.
Juniors will be in action prior to the opening ceremony.
Gunnedah cricket president Brad Gander described the news as "awesome" and "phenomenal".
He said: "Someone of that stature: it's not just a guy who's playing for NSW - he's the No.1 Test bowler in the world. You can't get much bigger than that."
Gander said Hazlewood was lured to the event after Gunnedah cricket senior vice-president Grant McIlveen approached Old Boys captain Ben Middlebrook, who hails from Gunnedah, about the possibility of the Test spearhead coming to town.
READ ALSO:
Gander said "Ben got it going for us".
"The timing couldn't be better for us. It's just phenomenal," Gander said.
"Just to marry in with our GPL T20 grand final night. But at the end of the day, it's all about the kids.
"That's why Grant [McIlveen] said we'll get it going, so we can get the kids there to meet one of their heroes."
Come 7.30pm on Friday, the Imperial Hotel Tigers will need to reverse their recent history against the undefeated McDonalds Charges to claim the title.
The Tigers' two losses this season came against the Chargers including a last-start thumping, in which the Chargers made 4-124 and then dismissed the Tigers for 85.
Tigers co-captain Mitchell Swain expects both sides to be a full strength for the final.
"The grand final's always a different scenario [from other matches]," he said. "We're going in pretty confident."
Swain said the Tigers would need to exert "sustained pressure" to win.
