By ADEM SARICAOGLU
AKON Mawien firmly has his eyes locked onto what every Australian cricketer craves – that famous baggy green cap.
A South Sudanese refugee, Mawien and his family fled to Australia via Kenya a decade ago and have now established themselves in Derrimut.
Still at the tender age of 16, Mawien forced his way into Sunshine Heights’ senior VTCA West B1 team and had a summer that could well have been the first stepping stone in the young quick’s journey to the top.
Sunshine Heights went on to win the West B1 title against local rival Sunshine United but would not have had the opportunity to play off for the crown if it hadn’t been for Mawien’s impressive bowling during the season.
Mawien consistently caused headaches for opposition batsmen and by season’s end everyone within the division knew of his lethal talents, claiming 31 wickets for just 200 runs with an average of 6.5.
His economy rate of 1.6 was just as impressive.
It appears Mawien made the right choice with cricket – a sport not all that popular among his friends with similar heritage.
“The seniors was pretty much a big step for me, first of all filling in as a 13 and 14-year-old and now playing full-on is a big challenge for me, but I enjoy it,” Mawien said.
“I used to play soccer but then cricket was just a new thing. No-one else was playing it so I thought why not.
“No other Sudanese kids were playing it, so I played it. I thought I’d just try it out and I enjoyed it, so I stuck at it.”
Sunshine Heights coach Matthew Shawcross enjoyed a front row seat to the ‘Akon Show’ all summer long, and can see the young paceman going a long way.
“He’s had a massive impact,” Shawcross said.
“Akon played a massive role for us throughout the year. He was the bowler we’d turn to whenever we were in trouble.
“He was definitely playing the role of our strike bowler and intimidated a lot of opposition batsmen with his pace and the extra bounce that he gets.
“He’s got the potential to be a real tearaway quick. He can now actually swing the ball both ways and I think that’s a weapon that a lot of fast bowlers don’t have.”
Mawien has taken part in numerous elite pathways programs but will face a whole new set of challenges next summer when he fronts up for Premier Cricket’s newest champion, Footscray Edgewater.
With the dream of one day playing for Victoria and even Australia, Mawien can’t wait to see what he can do for the Bulldogs come October and beyond.
“That makes me proud and makes me feel that all my hard work’s paid off and now I want to work even harder,” he said.
