Australia under-19 cricket captain and budding WA star Will Malajczuk taking next steps in rapid rise

To say Will Malajczuk’s past few months have been hectic would be quite an understatement. One of Australia’s brightest rising cricket stars spent much of September and October in Queensland, captaining the country’s under-19 side, being tasked with trying to stop an Indian team starring swashbuckling 14-year-old phenom Vaibhav Suryavanshi. While in the Sunshine State, the 18-year-old also received his first call-up to WA’s senior squad for a pair of One-Day Cup games, which came after he regularly trained with the team during their pre-season. He did not break through for a debut but his form in Premier Cricket for Subiaco-Floreat, where he has made 239 runs and taken five wickets across the first-grade and Premier T20 competitions this season, would suggest his first senior State appearance is not far away. And all the while as his cricketing journey ascended to new heights at a blistering pace, Malajczuk had to contend with completing his final year of school at Newman College. Ahead of captaining WA’s under-19 side at the national championships in Perth, which start next week, the spin-bowling all-rounder told The West Australian he had experienced several “surreal” moments throughout the year. “Earlier in the season, things were moving very, very quickly and I was just trying to take it day-by-day,” Malajczuk said. “I’ve got a pretty good balance between sport and away from sport. Getting school done and still having enough time to play cricket and hang out with friends and do all this stuff is something I really pride myself on. “It’s not a real baggy green, but you look at your under-19 baggy green and you’re kind of just in awe. Being able to put the Aussie kit on, it’s pretty special. “Coming into that (WA) team was a pretty special call. I wasn’t really thinking I would get that call, but it was awesome to learn off them.” Malajczuk’s rapid rise reached yet another level last week, when he was integrated into Australia’s squad ahead of the first Test of the Ashes, alongside another of the State’s best young cricketers in rookie-contracted wicketkeeper Simon Budge. Ahead of joking he hoped he had “ran some good drinks”, Malajczuk said he had looked to learn as much as he could from players he had long admired. “Being around legends of the game and being able to see the professionalism and how they go about it, especially in a pretty full-on day one, was definitely an awesome experience,” he said. “The whole team was so welcoming and made us feel at home. It was pretty easy to get into the group.” Like a number of promising dual-sport athletes before him, Malajczuk — a long-time member of Claremont’s development program who featured for their WAFL colts side as recently as June — was forced into a decision between cricket and football earlier this year. He admitted he was “pretty jealous” to see his former teammates win their third consecutive premiership in September but had no doubts he had made the right call. “I already have one (colts premiership) to my name, so I’m pretty happy with where I stand,” Malajczuk said. “I would’ve loved to have kept playing footy and I have a love for both sports. “In the middle of this year, I played a couple of colts games and PSA (Public Schools Association) was returning and I thought I had to call it quits and put all my eggs in the basket of cricket.” Having captained WA at last year’s under-17 championships, Malajczuk will reprise the role in the under-19 side as they look to defend a title they won last year, with their campaign starting against New South Wales at Cresswell Park on Monday. When asked if he believed he took his game to a new level when given the responsibility of leadership, Malajczuk replied: “100 per cent”. “I love the responsibility and just trying to lead from the front and get the boys up and about,” he said. “It’s an honour and a privilege just to represent your State, but to captain is something pretty special to me. “There’s a bit of pressure from winning it last year, but we’ve got a fantastic team and a very special group.”