Tamworth bred keeper batsmen Andrew ‘Buddy’ Hariott will get another taste of Big Bash cricket after the talented 24 year old has been called into the Melbourne Renegades squad as they fight for a spot in the finals.
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The Renegades signed Harriott to replace the injured Peter Nevill, with the latter unable to recover from his facial injury suffered when Brad Hodge let go of the willow which flew behind the stumps and hit the keeper in a freak incident last weekend.
Harriott will take the gloves and a spot in the middle order when the Melbourne side head to the Gabba to take on the Brisbane Heat in a must win game on Friday night.
Playing for Northern District Cricket Club in Sydney grade cricket, Harriott has made almost 900 runs this summer in 17 innings across all formats, including four centuries and four 50’s.
The former Oxley High School student explained on the Melbourne Renegades website that he was sitting at work in Sydney on Wednesday in the “scorching heat”.
“(Then) I get a phone call saying I’m a chance to play, pack your bags and come into Brisbane,” he said.
“I’m still coming to terms with (the call up) to be honest, I’m still on cloud nine.
“It’s good to play alongside a lot of the names. I’m going to soak it in in the next 24 hours.”
A keen follower of the Big Bash League, Harriott also has a connection with Nevill through the grade cricket ranks in Sydney.
“I played with Nev when I first moved down to Sydney from Tamworth at Eastern Suburbs for two years,” Harriott revealed.
“I was watching on Monday and I saw the injury, which was sad for him but an opportunity has opened up.
“I gave Nev a quick call yesterday to get some tips off him. Basically he told me to watch the ball.”
While Harriott would only modestly concede he’d been ‘going alright this season’, he was extremely clear on what he wanted to add to the Renegades.
“I’ll try and bring a lot of energy. This is something I’ve wanted and been working for since I finished school in 2010,” he said.
Harriott has also played for the ACT Comets in the Futures League, while spending time in the Sydney Thunder squad as a rookie in BBL|04 and BBL|05.