Pacer Worrall enjoying ‘surreal’ experience

Potential Australia debutant Daniel Worrall was in the middle of a law degree when he was offered a South Australia contract two years ago, and calls his recent experiences ‘surreal’.

Worrall was never even a junior Australia player, at any level, and struggled to even make his club’s starting XI till he was 20, but now he is on the brink of a debut in South Africa, against Ireland.

With Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood rested for the tour, Worrall is on the verge of his first international cap of any kind, and says he’s loving being around stars like Steve Smith.

Worrall told the CA website: “It’s a surreal experience for me.

“It’s just been a whirlwind 12 months, but now that I’m here (in South Africa) I’ve calmed down a bit from the nerves and the excitement of the last couple of weeks.

“And being around the guys it’s time to switch on and really make sure that we’re ready for the contest ahead.”

He added of the change in atmosphere compared to his other club and state experiences: “I think the step up is just in the intensity at training, and the work ethic of the guys involved.

“But at the end of the day, cricket is cricket and it’s the same wherever you play. It’s just a matter of doing basics better and for longer, and as you go up (in standard) that tends to happen.

“A couple of guys from South Australia (are in the 14-man Australia squad), and with Joe Mennie also being a new guy here he’s had the same experience as me.

“It’s been good to get around the new guys as well. We haven’t had too much to do with guys like Dave Warner and Steve Smith so it’s been great to mix with them and see how they operate and hopefully we can just keep up and do well when we get our chance.”

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