Tatura’s Michael Archer reflects on his BBL debut for Melbourne Renegades

The Tatura export laced up his spikes for Melbourne Renegades after being called in as a replacement player for the final hit out of the season on Saturday night, falling to Adelaide Strikers by eight wickets at Adelaide Oval.

Archer was notified on Thursday he’d be flying with the team - but even then, he admitted he didn’t expect to play.

“After we got off the plane in Adelaide, I got told I was playing and around the same time it got announced,” he said.

“My phone went ballistic for a few days; lucky it’s calmed down a little bit now.

“I’ve never loved that much attention, but I was very grateful for it and (it’s) definitely something I’ve started to soak in a bit now.”

Though signed as a spin bowler, Archer made his first impact with the bat after a Renegades collapse, seeing him reach the crease at 8-71.

Introduced by commentator Mark Waugh as being from Shepparton - not Tatura - Archer shook off a nervy start and got off the mark with a punch into cover with his fourth ball faced.

The 28-year-old forged a 27-run partnership with Will Sutherland - remarkably the highest of the innings - and later hit his second scoring shot to mid-on.

Sutherland farmed the strike and eventually found the field on 38 after hailing a few maximums, Archer followed a few balls later as his thin edge found keeper Alex Carey’s gloves for two off nine.

“(Batting was) probably the one thing I was hoping I wouldn’t do,” Archer said with a laugh.

“I don’t get too nervous bowling; I’ve worked on that enough to know that I can hopefully execute what I’m trying to do. Batting-wise, it’s definitely not my strongest suit.

“Nearly being stumped and having it go up to third umpire probably calmed me down a bit, it was pretty surreal to be out in the middle and watching on the big screen whether you’re out or not.

“You’re obviously hoping to not be out, but at the same time I was laughing a little bit, thinking how good’s this?”

When it came time to rip the white ball down, Archer’s task as a bowler was never going to be easy with precious few runs to protect.

And when he got the signal to warm up, that assignment got even harder.

Archer’s first ball in BBL cricket was to Chris Lynn, arguably one of the greatest T20 hitters Australia has produced in the past decade.

At the non striker’s end stood Matt Short, another short-form specialist who has represented his nation on 39 occasions.

But Archer wasn’t backing down.

“Once you’re out there, even though you can hear the crowd, it was sort of like another game so to speak,” he said.

“In grade cricket this year and in T20s I tried to bowl a wrong-un first ball and got a few people out, so I was hoping that’d be the dream start but I mis-executed a bit down leg.

“But it’s pretty cool; just standing at the top of your mark and trying to slow everything down - it was such a cool experience, loved it.”

Archer conceded 10 runs off his first over but tightened things up with his second, shipping just five runs as the Strikers stormed towards the target.

The game was done by the 12th over, bringing the Tatura leg-spinning legend’s BBL experience to a close.

While he said the full weight of his debut hasn’t truly sunk in yet, Archer knows being around the Renegades camp throughout the BBL campaign has done wonders for his own game.

And he - like the rest of Tatura and surrounds - hopes that’s not the last we’ve seen of him on the big screen.

“Hopefully it’s not a one and done thing and there’s an opportunity to feel it again,” he said.

“Just being exposed to that level makes you want to do it again. I just want to get back there if possible.”