ACT Comets star Matt Condon will soak up the chance to play alongside some of his childhood idols and with Australian Test stars when he gets his chance to shine in the Twenty20 Big Bash League this year.
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Condon has been promoted from the Sydney Sixers Academy to a rookie contract, and will up his training load as part of an all-star line-up boasting Brett Lee, Mitchell Starc, Steve Smith, Brad Haddin and Nathan Lyon.
The 18-year-old was a star in Canberra's first-grade competition for Wests-UC before moving to Sydney this year to get greater exposure in the premier competition in Australia.
He was put through his paces against some thunderbolts from Lee, the fastest bowler in the world at his peak, and Starc in an intra-squad trial match on Sunday.
"It's a pretty exciting opportunity to see how the pros go about their business," Condon said.
"It's a huge step up for me. I'm facing Mitch Starc today, so that's another learning experience and I'm just trying to soak things up.
"Brett [Lee] is a guy I've always looked up to, to share a changeroom with him is going to be something pretty special."
Condon will train with the squad and suit up for home games at the SCG. He says his chances of playing are slim and he will have to rely on injuries to get a call-up.
The Sixers' squad also includes Canberra junior Ryan Carters, Sean Abbott, Doug Bollinger and Moises Henriques.
With Haddin, Lyon and Smith on Australian Test duties and left-arm quick Starc pushing for selection, Condon could get the call-up sooner than expected.
"At my age you're on a massive learning curve; this year has been the steepest learning curve of my life," Condon said.
"I'm learning how to go about it and what you've got to do off the field to be successful. I didn't expect this at all, it was a pretty big surprise and I can't wait.
"I've got to learn as much as I can in such a short space of time."
The Sixers start their season with a huge clash against the Melbourne Renegades at the SCG on Friday night.
The Renegades boast fellow former Comet Nick Winter as well as Australian one-day international star Aaron Finch.
