WE’ve seen Big Billy … now welcome Mighty Matt.

Young fast bowler Matthew Willans, 17, was meant to be at school at Brisbane Boys College on Thursday.

On Thursday night he was studying Hamlet for Friday’s English exam but during the day he was living the dream, getting a leave pass to be part of what may be the tallest opening bowler partnership in Australian cricket history.

Thundering in from the southern end of Border Field for Queensland against NSW in a 50-over trial match was Billy Stanlake, the 204cm giant who is officially the tallest fast bowler to ever represent Australia.

And at the other end, less than a week after taking five wickets in his first grade debut for University, was Willans, the only cricketer Stanlake looks up to – at least in a literal sense.

At 205cm “and a bit’’ Willans stands one centimetre taller than Big Billy and the gap may widen further.

“I tell people that I have stopped growing and all of a sudden I will start again,’’ Willans said.

Willans (the name is of Dutch origins) said he got his height from his parents, Tony and Deb, who are both tall.

Cricket snared him in a tight tussle with tennis, an obvious alternative given he stands 5cm shorter than big-serving American beanstalk John Isner.

“I played tennis for a bit and that was neck and neck with cricket, but when I got into the Under-17s in the first year that was the time when I took cricket more seriously and it went from there.’’

Queensland Cricket chief executive Max Walters could have been excused for feeling a touch of nostalgia at seeing a schoolboy fast bowler playing a major trial match because two decades ago, when chairman of selectors, he plucked a fresh-faced Michael Kasprowicz from final year studies at Brisbane State High School and pitched him into Sheffield Shield cricket.

Queensland officials speak fondly of Willans’ respectful nature and soon after finishing his bowling stint he was spotted getting a ham roll for batsman Sam Heazlett and some wraps for other members of the top order.

No doubt old-time fast bowlers who think batsmen get a soft life will point out to him that it should be the other way around.

Willans has been clocked at 127km/h and his work on Thursday seemed around that pace. He beat the bat several times and returned figures of 0-34 from seven solid overs as Queensland were bowled out for 196 chasing 246.

To play at the top level he would need to add some pace – as he surely will as his body fills out – but other weapons may decrease the need for speed.

History tells us the tall men who get bounce don’t need much pace. Glenn McGrath conquered the world at 135km/h.

When asked how it felt playing cricket when he might have been at school, Willans joked: “Awesome … that was a highlight. But they have been great. We are starting an exam block and I have a test on Hamlet tomorrow.’’

Over the next few years he hopes to speak a lot to Stanlake, “because we have gone through the same things.’’