That was the opportunity presented to Bathurst juniors on Monday when Nathan Bracken journeyed to the city as part of the Shaun Brown Cricket Coaching program at George Park.

Bracken has been involved in the clinics for the past five years and has enjoyed the experience of teaching the ropes to the nation’s juniors.

“It’s a chance to give something back. It’s about supporting these kids and growing their love of the game,” he said.

“It looks after the development of Australian cricket because if these guys aren’t playing and wanting to be involved then the national team is no more.

“It’s great fun and you get to see some very talented people. 

“I think it’s great having them come through and develop and seeing some move on to Sydney and playing Green Shield Cricket.

“Today we range from things like basic net sessions through to certain challenges, like getting a certain number of runs from a set amount of balls where they need to work together.

“There’s video analysis of batting and bowling … and at the end of the camp they get a little review which outlines the things they need to work on.”

Bracken remembers his own time in similar cricket clinics as a youngster, and how important sessions with national-level players can be.

The former international said the right words can mean a lot to someone, no matter what level they play at.

“The thing is, it’s one little piece of advice. That can change everything,” he said.

“For me it was spending 45 minutes with Bruce Reid. That changed my career and put it on a different path. I was playing for New South Wales and Australia at the time but I was struggling to consistently swing the ball.

“That 45 minutes, and that’s from meeting him until he left, changed my whole career.

“The biggest thing I’ve found here is that every person I’ve suggested something to, they’ve done it or they’ve tried.

“The big thing I like to look at with batting or bowling is the process, not the result. If you get the process right the result will take care of itself.”

Bracken played his last ODI for Australia in 2009 against England, finishing his career with an average of 24.39 with the white ball. He also play five tests for Australia.

The Sydney cricketer is looking forward to the current test side’s upcoming tour of India.

“India in India is always tough. We’ve seen that in how they played against England. 350 wasn’t enough and they did it comfortably,” he said.

“The big thing you notice is that it’s different players. Yes, Virat Kohli got 100 … but we’ve been seeing other players get runs. As a unit they play very well over there.

“It’s going to come down to our guys picking Ashwin, who has bowled unbelievably well for them. But they always seem to have someone coming through. The talent is always there.”