If you are seated in section 30 of the Gabba on Thursday, when Australia begins its Test series against Pakistan, you might be able to spot a familiar face.

Such was the sudden nature of Matt Renshaw's rise to international cricket, the 20-year-old opening batsman had already purchased a ticket to the game months earlier. Naturally, he can no longer be in the outer to take his spot, but who should?

Meet "Mannequin Renners". The brainchild of some dedicated club-mates from Toombul District Cricket Club, determined to make sure their local boy made good doesn't miss out on a thing.

Toombul's Regan Kelly (l) and Andrew Oldham (r) stand alongside their creation. ( ABC: Dean Bilton )

"He originally bought his ticket, and it's a pretty big day on the social calendar, so we just wanted to make sure he filled his seat," said Regan Kelly, a long-time member of the club and the Dr Robert Ford of Toombul's own Westworld story.

"When he bought his ticket, [one of the guys] was like 'nah don't buy a ticket, you'll be out in the middle'.

"And everyone laughed it off, back in July."

The tickets were originally bought in late May, back when Renshaw's main concern for the day was to ensure the chosen seats were in one of the Gabba's rare shaded areas.

As club secretary Andrew Oldham points out, "he made sure we got seats in the shade, and now he has to go stand in the sun".

Making Matt Renshaw

So how did this slightly disconcerting concoction come to life?

"I just put a Facebook post up in the players' group asking if anyone could get hold of a mannequin, because after I went on Gumtree and saw they were $150, I was like 'I'm out. Not worth it.'," Kelly said.

Fake Matt Renshaw. 50 per cent great idea, 50 per cent creepy. ( ABC: Dean Bilton )

"Then we just used his Cricket Australia profile photo. We probably should have used a photo of KD Lang, that would have been more funny."

Renshaw has always been known around the club for his cheek, with the sort of self-confidence that has anybody who knows him in no doubt he will succeed at Test level. But it seems he's happy to take as much as he gives.

"Yeah he knows [about the mannequin]. He said he doesn't mind, he said 'it's up to you, it's got nothing to do with me'. But he personally thinks it's pretty funny," Kelly said.

Renshaw was in the middle as Australia wrapped up victory in Adelaide against South Africa. ( AAP: Dave Hunt )

So would he be keeping an eye out to try spot his doppelganger in the crowd?

"We're going to yell out 'Matt' until he does. We're going to be as annoying to him as he would be to us," Oldham promised.

"He's annoying if you leave him out of stuff, so we don't want to cop that."

The local lad hits the big time

Renshaw has been an active member Toombul since 2010, eager to assist coaching junior players and helping out around the place.

The club's Friday night junior programs, where kids under the age of 10 come to learn basic skills, would often feature Renshaw running the drills or helping behind the bar. Or, sometimes, doing some training of his own.

Gone are the days when Renshaw could help behind the bar or canteen and go unrecognised. ( ABC: Dean Bilton )

"He used to bat on Friday night against seven-year-olds and hit 78 singles," Kelly said.

"And then he'd get a hundred on Saturday. He did it four or five Friday nights in a row, when he got his hundreds in first grade.

"He had eight-year-olds bowl to him for like an hour and a half, and you'd turn around and go 'hey Renners, have any of the young kids batted yet?'.

"And he'd say 'nah, they haven't got me out!'"

Oldham says Renshaw has had to adapt to life in the big time.

"He's definitely gone into his shell a little bit. He's aware there's a little bit more exposure and visibility now compared to the week before his debut, when he could serve in the canteen and the kids didn't know who he was."

Renshaw the latest in a long line

Established in 1882, Toombul has seen plenty of Test cricketers — the likes of Jeff Thomson, Ryan Harris, Bill Brown and Wally Grout have all played at the club — move through its ranks, and in recent years the likes of Chris Lynn and Cameron Boyce have represented Australia in the shorter forms.

But Renshaw's rapid rise and selection for Australia has prompted a tangible sense of pride for a club that has long prospered despite financial restrictions.

Before the growth spurt that provided his hulking frame, 14-year-old Renshaw waits to bat for Toombul's under-17s in 2010. ( ABC: Dean Bilton )

"It's been next level. It's the first home grown Test cricketer we've had for 50, 60 years now," Oldham said.

"We've had a few other reps, like Ryan [Harris] recently, but to have someone come through from a young age is pretty impressive.

"It'll hit home a bit more when everyone sees him out in the middle, and remembers all the times they played with him out in the middle."

And what's it like watching him bat, and seeing the criticism for his old-fashioned lack of urgency?

"Nerve-wracking," Oldham said

"The boys were definitely getting behind him. We know what he does and how he bats, and that's why he got picked."