Provoking murmurs among the meagre crowd of students, cantankerous pensioners and break-seeking university lecturers, Victorian batsman Michael Hill walks onto the grass of the hallowed Melbourne Cricket Ground.
With Hill’s arrival and the score at 5 for 407 comes an expectation of runs. And at a good rate too.
It’s a difficult situation to bat in, because it isn’t a difficult situation to bat in.
He’s aware that Victoria, with an eye on next season, are desperate for batsmen to stand up. Of the three leading young batsmen playing for the state – Marcus Stoinis, Peter Handscomb and himself – Hill has undoubtedly had the most underwhelming season.
While Stoinis and Handscomb have been patchy, they have both offered glimpses of their capabilities; Handscomb with three half-centuries, as well as a match-saving knock of 94 against New South Wales, Stoinis with a stoic 52 in Adelaide, before a formidable 170 against Tasmania.
A fluent stoke-maker known for his timing of the ball, Hill was a fixture of the Bushrangers’ early Ryobi Cup campaign, before being dropped after failing to capitalise upon several starts.
Despite being in reasonable form for his premier grade side, Melbourne, he has yet to make a single century in the 2013/14 season, instead stringing a number of 50s together to warrant selection.
Conversely, Stoinis and Handscomb, when playing for their respective premier grade sides, have together compiled six hundreds.
Hill asks the umpire for middle and scratches at the crease in that annoying way batsmen do, before facing up.
His career up to this point echoes that of many Australian U/19s alumni. With graduation from such a group often comes the realisation being good enough at U/19 level does not mean one is anywhere near good enough for professional cricket on the domestic scene.
Some graduates, gifted games on the back of their status, quickly find performances do not equate to their expectations. Others, told to work for an opportunity, resent that they are forced to so.
Where Hill’s career has diverged from the template is injury. Constant interruptions have made it difficult to take advantage of form and confidence, robbing him of both.
This inconsistency is matched only by his appearances in the batting order, having appeared in positions one through four and recently seven in his 19 Shield matches for Victoria.
What follows makes for difficult viewing. Second ball, he edges streakily. Pressure arises from seemingly nowhere, the bowlers having sensed Hill’s uncertainty.
He does not resemble the man who struck an empathetic 144 against one of the Shield’s better bowling attacks last season – finalists Queensland.
Two unintentional boundaries through the slips follow, before – of all bowlers – former wicketkeeper Ben Dunk is the one that brings Hill’s 20 or so minute stay to an end, with a slow (off-spinning?) yorker that the left hander gives no indication of seeing, being clean bowled for 14.
The head tilts back in exasperation. The long walk back begins.
The groans from the old men in the stands arise again, along with the chorus of “What’s he even doing here?”, before one member of the crowd loudly suggests Hill “take up the offers from other states when they come” at season’s end.
Hill trudges off the ground, knowing he has let another opportunity slip. If only he were as decisive while still at the crease, as he is now.
Another six months, he, and the old men, will have to wait.
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