Cricket Australia has today announced a 15-player squad to represent Australia Under 19s in a six-match series against Sri Lanka Under 19s in April in Tasmania.
The squad – selected by the Youth Selection Panel – features two players who hold state rookie contracts, plus one player with Matador BBQs One-Day Cup experience, two who have played List A cricket and three who have played in the Toyota Futures League.
The series will involve one three-day match and five one-day matches, beginning on 8 April and concluding on 23 April, all played at Hobart’s Kingston Twin Ovals.
Australia Under 19s Squad
Max Bryant, Jack Edwards, Zak Evans, Ryan Hackney, Ryan Hadley, Lewin Maladay, Jonathan Merlo, Mitchell Perry, Lloyd Pope, Jason Sangha, Matthew Spoors, Will Sutherland, Param Uppal, Austin Waugh, Harrison Wood
Coach: Matthew Elliott
Assistant Coach: Ryan Harris
The squad includes some of the best talent from this summer’s Under 19 National Championships, with one eye on the present and one looking ahead to the 2018 ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup in New Zealand.
Fourteen members of this squad will remain eligible for selection for the World Cup.
Among the rising stars on show will be the leading wicket-taker at both this season’s under-19 and under-17 national championships, South Australian leg-spinner Lloyd Pope, NSW Blues rookie Jason Sangha, Queensland Bulls rookie Max Bryant, under-19 Cricket Australia XI captain Will Sutherland and player of the under-17 championships final, New South Wales allrounder Austin Waugh.
Pope claimed 21 wickets at an average of just 16.33 throughout the under-19 championships, while during the same tournament, New South Wales opening batsman Ryan Hackney plundered 595 runs at an average of 99.17 – including three centuries.
Sangha and Victorian allrounder Sutherland both lined up for the Cricket Australia XI against Pakistan in January this year – with Pope named as 12th man – while Sangha also represented the CA XI during the Matador BBQs One-Day Cup and the Prime Minister’s XI against Sri Lanka.
Commenting on the squad, National Talent Manager Greg Chappell said:
“Being selected to represent your country is an enormous honour, and this series presents an exciting opportunity and challenge for these highly-talented young cricketers.”
“In naming a 15-player squad, the Youth Selection Panel is confident that all bases are covered for the series, with plenty of batting and bowling depth, and quite a number of players who are more than capable contributors with both bat and ball.
“Some of the top performers from this summer’s Under 19 National Championships have been rewarded with selection, while this series is also important as we look ahead to next year’s ICC Under 19 World Cup. This is a young under-19s squad, with every player except wicketkeeper Lewin Maladay eligible for selection for the World Cup.
“We expect that this team will be extremely competitive against Sri Lanka, in both the three-day match and five one-day matches.”
The squad will have plenty of experience to call on in the coaching department, with recently appointed Cricket Australia High Performance Coaches Matthew Elliott and Ryan Harris announced as coach and assistant coach respectively.
The 2018 ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup will be held in New Zealand from 12 January to 4 February next year.
Australia U19s v Sri Lanka U19s- Match Schedule
8 April – 10 April: Three-Day Match
13 April: 1st One-Day Match
15 April: 2nd One-Day Match
18 April: 3rd One-Day Match
21 April: 4th One-Day Match
23 April: 5th One-Day Match