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The Australian
04-07-2025
- Sport
- The Australian
Rising star Oliver Peake hits impressive fifty on Australian A debut
The national ascension of young gun Oliver Peake seems a matter of when rather than if after the teenager looked at home on Australian A debut. Peake, along with Test contenders Nathan McSweeney and Matt Renshaw, propelled Aussies to a mammoth 4-332 in the first one-day match against Sri Lanka in the Northern Territory. The 18-year-old joined McSweeney with 10 overs left in the innings and struck an unbeaten 55 from just 38 deliveries. Peake reached the boundary four times and cleared it once as he raced to a maiden Aus A half century. The U19 World Cup teammate of Test opener Sam Konstas was the fourth Aussie A player to reach fifty on Friday. Jason Sangha hit 50 off 65 balls, Renshaw 80 off 84 and McSweeney 84no from 63 balls. McSweeney (nine fours and one six) rode his luck through his innings but was ultimately too good for the Sri Lankan attack. It has been a busy week for the left-handed Peake, after he penned a deal with Big Bash League club Melbourne Renegades. He also made a half century on first-class debut for Victoria earlier this year against Western Australia at the WACA. Oliver Peake raises the bat for Victoria. (Photo by) Peake was part of Australia's tour to Sri Lanka in February learning from Test stars and batting coach Michael Di Venuto. Speaking to SEN in March, Aussie coach Andrew McDonald said Peake was a player earmarked for the future. 'There's no doubt Ollie Peake has been earmarked as a potential first-class player and has he got the potential to play international cricket? Some are saying maybe,' he said. 'We had a great opportunity, supported by Cricket Australia, to bring over a development player and (Peake) was the one we chose. 'To watch him around the group, he had Sammy Konstas there as well, it's weird to have two come out of the under-19s World Cup team in the Australian environment. 'One is competing for a spot at the top of the order and the other is on a development tour – it was a strange set up but nice for him to have a mate on tour. 'To see him go to work was exciting for us and for him to connect with Michael Di Venuto, who has done a magnificent group with the batting group, I think that early point of contact is important to understand how we view cricket. 'Hopefully that spreads the word and helps shape him in some way.' Friday's match was the first of three one-day matches against Sri Lanka before two four-day matches round out the Northern Territory tour. Tyler Lewis Sports reporter Tyler Lewis is a sports reporter based in Melbourne's south east. @tmlew_ Tyler Lewis
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mark Taylor calls for Marnus Labuschagne to make 15,000km move after Test axing
Aussie cricket great Mark Taylor hopes the axing of Marnus Labuschagne signals a more ruthless approach from selectors and believes the veteran batter should make the 15,000km trip back home from the Caribbean. Labuschagne paid the price for an alarming form slump over the last two years, with the 30-year-old dropped for this week's first Test against the West Indies, in Barbados. Teenage opener Sam Konstas returns to the starting XI after starring in the India series victory and will likely take Labuschagne's spot at opener. While Josh Inglis has also earned a Test recall at the expense of Steve Smith, who dislocated his finger in the WTC final loss to South Africa at Lord's. Labuchagne has remained with the squad in the Caribbean but Taylor believes it would be better for him to return home to Australia to have a 'refresh' and focus on returning for the Ashes series at the end of the year. "Come back, have a bit of time off from the game, just refresh. That wouldn't be a bad thing. Get ready for the Australian summer," the former Australia captain told Wide World of Sports. Taylor hopes Labuchagne's axing signals a 'tougher' approach from the Aussie selectors, who've had a long history of persisting with out-of-form veterans. The writing had been on the wall for Labuschagne for some time, with his last Test century coming in the 2023 Ashes series in England. Having previously been the world's No.1-ranked Test batter, Labuschagne has only averaged 27.82 in the past 12 months. And after struggling with the bat in Test series against India and Sri Lanka this year, as well as the WTC final, his average in 2025 has plummeted to just 16.16, leaving selectors with little option but to axe him. Considered among the best Test batters in the world, Marnus Labuschagne now finds himself out of the Australia did he slip so far down? @Aadya_Wisden examines.#WIvAUS #MarnusLabuschagne — Wisden (@WisdenCricket) June 22, 2025 At his best, Labuschagne has proven that he's a classy batter and an invaluable part of Australia's top order. And Taylor believes he has what it takes to go away and work on his technique, regain confidence and return to the Test side as a more formidable batter. "He's got time to come back, and I think he will come back, Marnus, and probably come back a better player," Taylor added. RELATED: Alyssa Healy reveals retirement backflip in huge call on future South Africa get last laugh as Aussie sledge backfires badly Pat Cummins' key confession after rival admits to 'dodgy' act For now though, teenage sensation Konstas gets the chance to cement his spot at opener after being dropped off the back of his incredible debut Test series against India. The 19-year-old is set to partner Usman Khawaja at the top of the order against the Windies, with Inglis perhaps favoured to take over at No.3 after Cameron Green's struggles there in the WTC final. Green looked troubled after returning scores of just 4 and 0 in his two innings at Lord's and would probably prefer to return to his favoured No.4 role in Smith's absence. While Inglis returns after his memorable century on debut in Sri Lanka this year. And the 30-year-old is happy to bat wherever suits, having performed in various roles for Western Australia and Australia's white-ball sides. "I think it's just because I have done it, I feel comfortable going into different positions," Inglis told reporters at Bridgetown's Kensington Oval. "I've batted at the top in white-ball cricket and in the middle, so I've become accustomed to moving around a fair bit and something I pride myself on. "I took a lot of confidence from (from Sri Lanka); my debut Test match, it was nice to go out there and get a hundred." Australia convincingly won both matches of the two-Test tour of the West Indies the last time they were there in 2015 and will be hoping to kick off the new WTC cycle in similar fashion. Aussie coach Andrew McDonald and captain Pat Cummins have described the Windies series as a "reset" for the Test side, and with eight members of the XI having never played a Test in the region, it has that feel. Bowlers Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon are the only current players who featured on that 2015 tour. with agencies
Times of Oman
23-06-2025
- Sport
- Times of Oman
Travis Head urges Australia to move on from WTC Final defeat ahead of West Indies Series
Melbourne: Australia batter Travis Head has called on his teammates to swiftly put their recent ICC World Test Championship Final loss to South Africa behind them, as they prepare to kick off a new cycle against the West Indies in Barbados. The Aussies have little time to lick their wounds following their five-wicket loss to the Proteas at Lord's in the Ultimate Test earlier this month, with their new World Test Championship campaign commencing with a three-match series against the West Indies in the Caribbean on Wednesday. Head believes a quick turnaround from the World Test Championship Final to the West Indies series is a positive for his side and has urged his teammates not to dwell on the loss to the Proteas when they take on the Caribbean side. "There's added motivation to go out there and play well," Head said of the first Test in Barbados, as quoted from the official website of the ICC. "We didn't play well (against South Africa) and it's unfortunate," he added. "We put two years of hard work into one week and didn't quite go to plan and the opposition played really well, so there's another motivation," he noted. "We've got two more years to build, and this is another first look at it so I think if you dwell on it for too long or if you look back you forget about what's moving forward," Head said. "As hard as that is, we play so much cricket and are so used to that but of course we care and of course it's not ideal but at the end of the day you can't change it so you have to move on you have to get back on the horse and you have to play good cricket," he noted. "I think a lot of guys are wanting to do that we've had a little bit of time to reflect and I've got time to prep and we're going to another Test series that we're hopeful to play well in," he added. Australia will be without the services of key batter Steve Smith for the opening Test against the West Indies, with the veteran right-hander still recovering from the finger injury he picked up while fielding during the loss in the World Test Championship Final. Former No. 1-ranked Test batter Marnus Labuschagne is also missing, having been dropped by the Aussies, with teenager Sam Konstas and fellow batter Josh Inglis named as their replacements for the first Test at Kensington Oval. Head expects Labuschagne to work his way back into the Test setup quickly and is also predicting Inglis to thrive when filling in for the injured Smith. Inglis scored a century on debut against Sri Lanka at the start of the year, and Head believes the 30-year-old is capable of performing well once more. "It feels like he's played a lot more than he has for Australia as he has been in the squad for a long time and he has been around the group for a long time," Head noted. "Once he gets his extended stay on the team I think he will excel," he added. "He's been waiting for a good amount of time to get a crack and it's exciting for Josh," Head said.
News.com.au
19-06-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Vaughn backs Konstas to open for Aussies
Cricket: Fox Cricket's Michael Vaughn joined Fox Sports News to discuss the possibility of young gun Sam Konstas opening for the Aussies in the upcoming Test series against the West Indies.
Yahoo
01-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Ricky Ponting questions move for WTC final as Sam Konstas and Scott Boland cop blow
Aussie cricket legend Ricky Ponting feels Sam Konstas and Scott Boland will miss out on selection for the World Test Championship final despite not necessarily agreeing with Marnus Labuschagne's potential promotion up the order. Cameron Green is set to make an immediate return to the Aussie X to take on South Africa at Lord's on 11 June after returning from a back injury. Despite missing the test series against India over the summer, Green has returned in strong form during a second-division County cricket stint. The allrounder has blasted a number of centuries and is likely to slot back into the starting XI. However, Green's return is going to force someone out. And despite plenty of calls for it to be Labuschagne, who is on an extended lean run of form, Ponting believes the unfortunate player could be Konstas. Labushagne has struggled for runs across the last 18 months having failed with the bat against India and Sri Lanka last summer. The No.3 batter averaged just 25.36 across the two series and has so far failed in his County cricket move. The former World No.1 Test batter is woefully out of form, but there are suggestions the selectors will keep him in the side and move him up to opener to accomodate the return of Green. And despite questioning the move, Ponting feels the Aussie team will do just that. "I actually think that that will go with Labuschagne," Ponting said on the ICC Review podcast. "Looking back to the last World Test Championship Final there was some talk about David Warner and whether he should hold his spot going into that. "And there was a bit of talk around the team about wanting to get through that period or that phase or if you like, with the same group of players and give them the chance to, to be able to play off in that one-off final. Labuschagne has been through this cycle with the team, albeit batting at No.3 and I think they will want to get through the cycle with the same players so I think Labuschagne will get the nod. "Whether I agree with it or not, it's a different will be revealed in the next couple of weeks." Ponting believes Green will slot in at No.3, while Smith will remain at No.4. This will see Konstas miss out after making his exciting debut during the series against India. Ponting also weighed-in on the exclusion of Boland. Boland took over Josh Hazlewood's position during the India series and starred at the MCG and SCG to help Australia surge to victory. Hazlewood failed to play the final two tests due to a back injury, but has returned to the IPL in sensational form. The Aussie quick has been the best bowler of the T20 tournament and he was also arguably the best of the Australian quartet across the last 18 months, before his injury. Hazlewood missed his side's last three games due to a shoulder issue, but the quick stamped his Test claims with a superb spell of bowling against Ponting's Punjab Kings to brush off any injury concerns. And while it will be hard on Boland, Ponting feels the selectors will remain faithful to Hazlewood for the one-off test with South Africa. "And the one that everyone talks about the last couple of years is the whole Hazlewood (versus) Boland one," Ponting added. "It's a really tough selection every time because every time Boland plays, he just does so well. But unfortunately, if Hazlewood is fit, I think Hazlewood comes straight back into the team." Australia's Test No.3 has faced growing calls to be axed for next month's showpiece red-ball final against South Africa at Lord's with his form dropping off a cliff. Labuschagne only averaged 25.36 with the bat across the summer, after disappointing Test series against India and Sri Lanka. That came after an equally underwhelming previous year for Labuschagne, where he averaged just 27.08 across the summer of 2023/24. And the 30-year-old only managed scores of 23, 0 and 61 in his three Sheffield Shield innings for Queensland after those Test series.
