Rock-solid Patterson cranks up the volume

While you might not have heard his name before this week, there's a good chance you've heard the voice of Kurtis Patterson, the young NSW batsman widely tipped to make his Test debut next week.

Patterson compiled a composed 55 in the Blues' first innings against Victoria in their Sheffield Shield clash at the SCG, top-scoring for the home side on a pitch that is beginning to show more tricks than a David Blaine performance.

The 23-year-old's knock wasn't as emphatic as that of rival Peter Handscomb, who posted 215, but it was likely enough to convince Australia's new-look selection panel that the left-hander we've been hearing for years is ready for a Baggy Green.

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One of the game's great additions to television coverage in recent times has been the mic'ing up of players in the heat of battle, and when it comes to Patterson he's been beamed into our living rooms, pubs and clubs for years.

The Australian public first heard the softly-spoken Hurstville product in 2013 when he was wearing the lime green for the Sydney Thunder in the third edition of the KFC Big Bash League.

As a batsman who didn't bowl, Patterson was often harnessed with the microphone equipment to talk to legends the likes of Gilchrist, Ponting, Waugh and Richards all while fielding on the boundary in the most intense, hectic version of the game where the only thing that comes quicker than the questions is the white ball on its way to, or over, the rope.

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Fast forward three years to October 2016 and once again it's Patterson we're hearing on our OLED screens and mobile devices, this time a more confident, accomplished and experienced batsman who still has to engage in banter with the ex-players such as Taylor, McGrath, Slater and Moody in the Matador BBQs One-Day Cup.

In that time he's moved from the outer rim to the inner circle, and after knocking back a request to take the mic in order to get used to his new position at point, he gladly returned to his role as the public's eyes and ears on the ground one match later.

With a stellar 18 months behind him, in which he's averaged in excess of 50 and represented Australia A, Patterson's ability as a player is often best told by others, because we've been hearing from him for ages.

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"He's a very good player," Victoria fast bowler and former Thunder teammate Chris Tremain said.

"I played a lot with him and against him when I was in Sydney.

"I've never seen a bloke hit as hard as he does from the start to the end of his innings.

"He hits the ball really clean and he's a really good player.

"He seems to hit a lovely pick-up shot when he's going and he hits very well off the front and back foot.

"He drives the ball very hard and punches the ball of the back foot hard as well.

"He's tall and can get on top of the ball, whether it be back or front foot.

"He seems to get his head in the right position a lot of the time and he's a quality player and you can see that he's getting better and better and scoring a lot of runs."

A whole lot of runs.

Last summer Patterson scored 737 runs in 10 matches for NSW at 52.64 with two centuries.

A season back he amassed 469 runs at 58.63.

This winter, representing Australia A in Queensland, the languid left-hander posted 247 runs at 61.75, with a special mention of the 74 he recorded against Australia's nemesis from Hobart, Vernon Philander.

With form like that under your belt, talk of a Test XI overhaul after five straight losses and youth on your side, it must be hard to not hear the whispers of a potential Test debut in less than a week?

"For me that wasn't an issue at all," Patterson said on Saturday.

"I was trying to be out there scoring as many runs for the Blues and putting us in a position where we're chasing 500 early on.

"For me it was about scoring as many runs and occupying the crease."

Standing 192cm (6'3'' in the old scale), Patterson has the height of Test legend and fellow left-hander Matthew Hayden, albeit 30 kilograms lighter, and shares a love of facing the new ball at the top of the order.

"I enjoy batting three, or four when (captain Steve) Smithy is here," Patterson said.

"I enjoy it up there. I enjoy the added responsibility that comes with it and I actually quite like getting out there when the ball is a bit newer, there's few more gaps in the field generally."

Having bowled to him in the past and present, Tremain believes Patterson, and his Victorian teammate Handscomb, have what it takes to compete at Test level.

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And it's likely we'll hear a lot more from the New South Welshman for many years to come.

"With those two blokes in this game, you saw the pressure that's been put on a lot of the young batsmen around the country with the media talking about who they (the selectors) are going to pick in the next (Test) team," Tremain said.

"Petey Handscomb's gone out and scored 215 and KP's batted the way he always does.

"It's a very exciting time for these young cricketers in Australia and I hope whoever they (the selectors) go with they (the new players) grasp it with both hands and don't let go."

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