Heazlett taking leaf from Heat's Bash Bros

Sam Heazlett might not possess the sheer show-stopping ability of the Bash Brothers but the Brisbane Heat youngster is quickly building a reputation of his own.

While anyone wearing teal this summer is going to find themselves at best a distant third to Chris Lynn and Brendon McCullum, Heazlett's past two knocks of 39 and 28 – and perhaps more importantly, the manner in which he's made his runs – suggest Queensland Cricket has up their sleeve another star of the future.

As a batsman, the tall left-hander boasts style and timing in spades, and it's the latter that has seen him cart four sixes in his past two innings as he takes a leaf out of the books of his more illustrious teammates.

In fact, even his refrains in his post-match interview could have come from either Chris Lynn or Brendon McCullum.

"I like to back my natural game – just watch the ball and hit it," Heazlett told bigbash.com.au. "Not complicate things too much, just keep it simple.

"I like to think I can adapt to a Shield game as well, playing that longer format, but certainly with the Big Bash it's nice to have that freedom where you can just go after it and wack the ball.

"It was good to get some runs but hopefully I can get some more next time – instead of just 30s – and really contribute more to a win."

Heazlett has half a dozen BBL games under his belt now, having debuted last year, while he's also played 13 first-class matches, with a century and seven fifties to his name.

It's a record not dissimilar to state teammate Matt Renshaw at the time the left-handed opener found himself plucked from relative obscurity to don the Baggy Green.

Presently though, Heazlett is finding plenty of inspiration in the Big Bash – just 22 yards away. And despite being a fairly quietly spoken 21-year-old, the man who is filling the No.3 shoes of Lynn is not content simply playing second fiddle to a legend of the game.

"He's amazing, just to watch from the other end," he said of McCullum, with whom he combined for a 71-run stand from a ridiculous 27 balls in the Heat's thrilling one-run loss to the Renegades.

"He does it with ease. He doesn't seem to swing too hard and it just soars over the rope.

"But I just wanted to get in on the action; instead of getting him singles, I wanted to do it myself."

The message from McCullum, he adds, is a straightforward one.

"Back yourself," he added. "He keeps it simple.

"I'm trying to do that and I'm really enjoying it.

"Batting at the top of the order is good fun. I just want to make (No.3) my own while Lynny's away, and just do my best, have fun and see how it goes."