Ep 20 - QLD's X-Factor Callum Vidler: Need for Speed, 140kph plus & Hunting Poles

Queensland Bulls quick Callum Vidler joins The Cerebral Cricketer to unpack his need for speed, what it feels like to bowl 140kph plus, and why he is always hunting poles rather than bowling safe. From U19 World Cup glory with Australia to a breakout Sheffield Shield final for Queensland, Callum opens up about the mindset behind fast bowling, learning to compete hard without losing control, and how he uses pace as his point of difference. In this episode we cover - Growing up in Brisbane and discovering he could bowl genuinely fast - School and club cricket, and the moment he realised cricket could be a career - U19 World Cup memories, handling knockout pressure and "mind games" with batters - Breaking into Shield cricket for Queensland and that 4 for in the Shield final - What "hunting poles" actually means for him as a fast bowler - Managing adrenaline, routines between balls and staying present at the top of his mark - Dealing with an early injury setback and using rehab to come back better, not bitter - Fast bowling role models, from Queensland greats to international quicks he studies If you enjoy deep dives into the mental side of cricket, mindset and performance, hit subscribe and share this episode with a fellow cricket tragic. Timestamps 0:00 Intro and Callum's cricket story so far 18:00 Handling drop catches, anger and extra pace 19:46 Not being greedy and the best ball plan 20:28 Simple game plan, top of off and bouncers 25:38 Fast bowling journey, never being told to slow down 27:40 Early technical tweaks and no back injuries yet 28:46 Grade cricket light bulb moment, finding extra pace 32:15 Intensity, gears and learning from Dale Steyn 33:52 Injuries, hunger and loving bowling again 34:28 Under 19 nationals and Ryan Harris as coach 35:21 Playing nationals at 17 and teammates like Hugh Weibgen 49:15 Game day fuelling and diet lessons from England 50:26 Warm up, sleep and first ball mindset 51:31 Switching on mentally without heavy meditation 52:05 Planning for batters without overloading on analysis 1:00:44 Shield final bowling plans and Andy Bichel's message 1:01:33 Beamer then beauty to remove Nathan McSweeney 1:02:26 Body language, run up tempo and staying calm in the final 1:03:02 Mindset defending 95 and staying in the moment 1:04:32 Tackling flat wickets and using pace as a point of difference 1:07:20 Under 19 World Cup selection and move to South Africa 1:08:26 Cross seam bounce, South African pitches and Aussie quicks 1:09:24 Four for vs England, cross seam and DLS twist 1:14:20 Batting with Raf McMillan to finish a chase 1:15:00 Preparing for the World Cup final vs India 1:16:25 Resetting after bad balls in a high pressure final 1:24:42 Learning from Marnus and game awareness in Shield cricket 1:25:06 Playing Shield cricket against Sam Konstas after the World Cup 1:26:33 Partial back stress fracture and missing an Australia tour 1:27:04 Injury emotions, staying around the group and Harvey Bay trip 1:28:14 Studying finance, life outside cricket and rehab runs 1:29:16 Hunger to return and not taking cricket for granted 1:35:14 Bowling when sore, being present and finding a way on tough days