By Jonty Ralphsmith
Young Lynbrook opener Tajbir Powar has turned heads this season with his fashionable technique and maturity at the crease.
After showing glimpses across the last two seasons, the 17-year-old made a statement in his second innings of 2023-24 by blasting 92 off 143 at Coomoora, backing himself to play his own game despite chasing a mammoth 353 to win.
While the Lakers fell short, he gave his team an excellent platform, meeting the ball with a straight bat and taking it up to a series of former Sub-District bowlers
He backed it up the following week with a 62 against Berwick Springs, which set Lynbrook up to reach a match-winning 284.
“I felt like I was very present in that (Coomoora) game,” Powar said.
“I was watching the ball and playing the shots I wanted to play, so it was so important to set up the season for not only myself but also the team.
“I played some good cricket shots against them and let them know that I can play.“
Those two knocks increased his reputation significantly; when he has been dismissed cheaply in subsequent games, teams know they have dodged a bullet.
Having preferenced clips in recent seasons when the ball is angling into his pad, Powar has put an emphasis on presenting the full face.
It’s made a tangible difference this season, with several people around the league immediately associating Powar with his cracking on-drive.
“I think teams are starting to target me on the pads,” Powar said.
“I am going to stick to my game plan, look to play straight and stay present and in the moment taking each game on its merit.
“I think I need to improve on my offside game a little bit more, as well as my footwork, because when I go to play on the offside, my feet don’t really move so I think that’s a main thing we need to work on.”
Skipper Jay Walia asked him to open ahead of the season, and with that has come the ability to play with more poise and size up his conditions before taking the game on.
Powar targeted 500 runs for this season and wanted to lead the Turf 3 run-scoring, but a finger injury sustained while fielding against Doveton on Saturday will likely see him fall short – he currently has 217 runs.
Regardless, higher honours could be beckoning as soon as next season after representing Frankston-Peninsula in the U18 Vic Premier Cricket competition.
“Taj does the work, he’s here before the rest of them putting in the hard yards,” said playing-coach Shane D’Rozario.
“I get the pleasure of opening with him in the two-day game and you hear comments floating around about him when he plays certain cricket shots and I find it quite entertaining – they’re just bewildered at some of the shots he can play.
“I think he will fit in quite well at (Vic) Premier level and do Lynbrook proud.”
Another factor crucial to Powar taking the next step has been the faith that his club has shown by continuing to select him in the First XI.
It’s a route Lynbrook has started to take in recent years, and one it will continue to take to preserve the sustainability of the club.
President Shayne Baker says the way Powar has climbed the ranks is critical for local clubs such as Lynbrook.
“I think that what Taj has done playing juniors and then coming forward and playing in our ones, making it with his own talents and performing this year, shows a pathway that kids don’t need to be leaving their local cricket clubs to find their way to premier cricket: if a kid is talented enough, he’s going to make it one way or another,” Baker said.
“It shows everything we’re doing here to help our kids come through the right way is working.”
