Ambidextrous cricketers are a rarity, but when there’s one in your team, it’s like having two players for the price of one.
Adelaide Strikers all-rounder Jemma Barsby has bowled with both hands in the Women’s Big Bash League, switching to left-armed orthodox when right-handers are on strike, while Tasmania’s Nivethan Radhakrishnan, who represented Australia in last year’s Under-19 World Cup, has been perfecting the craft since his youth.
However, Australia’s newest ambidextrous prodigy hails from the Top End.
Tom Menzies, one of cricket’s leading prospects from the Northern Territory, was the youngest member of the Australian Under-19 squad that toured England this winter. The right-armed seamer, yet to celebrate his 18th birthday, is a gifted swing bowler, but at the back-end of training sessions will whip out some gentle left-arm orthodox spin.
“It’s definitely more of a party trick,” Menzies told Fox Cricket, emphasising that Radhakrishnan remains the superior ambidextrous cricketer.
“I’ve got two younger brothers and we played so much cricket together growing up. Sometimes if I can’t get them out, I start bowling left-hand spin.
“Over the years, I’ve just been bowling it more and more.”
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Bowling with both arms isn’t a gimmick. It gives captains an additional bowling option, potentially helping with match-ups and team balance.
Menzies doesn’t intend to bowl spin at a professional level anytime soon, but the teenager snared a three-wicket haul with his tweakers while playing local cricket in Darwin. While in England, he’s also picked up some tips and tricks from Australia Under-19 spinners Harkirat Bajwa and Cameron Frendo.
“The thought’s been there. What if you bowl up top with a new ball, try and swing it, then come on later in the day and bowl spin?” Menzies continued.
“I’m obviously a bit far off from doing it at this level yet.
“It’s something I will work on and try and get better at.”
First and foremost, Menzies is a swing bowler. He opened during the first four-day match against England Under-19 earlier this month, hooping the fresh Dukes ball in both directions on Youth Test debut.
He doesn’t boast the raw pace of some of his teammates, but what he lacks in speed he makes up for with attacking lines and movement through the air.
“He’s extremely skilful. He’s probably got the best wrist out of all the guys in the squad,” former Australian all-rounder Daniel Christian, who mentored the Under-19 squad in England, told Fox Cricket.
“His ability to swing the ball in and out, and his control of his length has been really good as well.
“He’s going to have to get a little bit stronger as he gets older, and he’ll be finding a yard of pace once he gets into that first-class system.”
Menzies didn’t always have access to coaching staff while growing up in Darwin, so the budding cricketer turned to YouTube, watching videos of swing maestros James Anderson and Stuart Broad. He analysed clips of the Englishmen, looking to imitate their wrist position and replicate their trademark consistency.
“I don’t mould my action too much on them, but the way they use their wrists, the technical stuff,” Menzies said.
“You can tell how good they are and just how skilful they are, hitting the same spot all the time.”
The eldest of three boys, all of whom are cricket-obsessed, Menzies spends several hours a week in the backyard with his brothers, peppering each other with taped tennis balls that hoop around corners.
“It’s ruined all of our batting techniques,” Menzies laughed.
“We don’t bat with any protection. We bat without a box and become scared of the ball because it hoops back in.”
His mother, who has lived in Darwin her entire life, works as a physiotherapist, providing his eldest son with advice on workloads and injuries. She’s also eager for her children to prioritise their education, with her eldest son currently studying for his Year 12 exams.
Halfway through our interview on WhatsApp, the phone line died, with an embarrassed Menzies phoning back a few seconds later. His mother had set a time limit for social media apps on his phone, which won’t be removed until his November exams are complete.
“My mum’s very big on finishing school, which is definitely fair enough,” Menzies said, profusely apologising for the interruption.
“She wants me to get through and do as well as I can. I’m trying to make mum proud.”
With the exception of a training camp in Hong Kong, Menzies had never previously travelled overseas for cricket. He has represented Darwin Cricket Club his entire life, with former Denmark representative Darren Treumer mentoring the teenager at NT Cricket, along with Dylan Slater and Tony Bonser.
The first-grade competition in Darwin only has six teams, so everyone knows everyone in the tight-knit community.
“We don’t have the skillset of some of the other states, but we definitely have a bond that the other states don’t have,” Menzies said.
Menzies played alongside South Australian quick Wes Agar during last year’s Strike League in Darwin, with Brisbane Heat’s Josh Brown and Melbourne Renegades young gun Jake Fraser-McGurk accompanying them in the Northern Tide squad.
Learning from a world-class bowler like Agar was an invaluable experience for Menzies, who still keeps in touch with the Adelaide Strikers paceman.
“(Agar) would stand at mid-off while I was bowling and just encourage, help me out with what I should bowl and fields and stuff,” Menzies said.
“The main thing he told me was I don’t have to overcomplicate it. Sometimes you can get carried away, trying to bowl too many different balls, be too fancy. Whereas he just says, ‘Keep it simple, just bash a fourth-stump length. Hit the spot, and just do that consistently.’ It works for him obviously.
“To be able to have that, I couldn’t be more grateful.”
Menzies’ cricket journey is still in its infancy, but he’ll no doubt eventually be confronted with the dilemma of choosing between pursuing the Test dream or lucrative T20 leagues.
Despite the lure of the high-paying global T20 circuit, Menzies is “100 per cent” committed to becoming the first North Territory men’s cricketer since Damien Martyn to don the baggy green.
“Playing red-ball cricket, that traditional style of cricket’s definitely something I prefer,” he said.
“There’s always that thought, ‘Aw, there’s heaps of money though in franchise cricket.’
“But still the main goal, for a lot of us in the Under-19 team as well, is trying to get that baggy green and play a Test match for Australia.”
