Oliver Peake may be small in stature, but he’s the biggest star on the rise with his Big Bash debut eclipsed by an invitation to join the Australian Test team on tour in Sri Lanka.
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It’s been a stunning rise for the “teenage sensation” whose heroics in Australia’s under 19 World Cup win came about by chance – as he was originally a non-travelling emergency for the tournament.
Now, the 18-year-old will join the likes of Steve Smith and Travis Head in Sri Lanka to gain invaluable experience in the nation’s tough batting conditions.
“It’s a great opportunity, not only tonight (in his Big Bash League debut) but to go and spend a couple of weeks in Sri Lanka on different surfaces with the Australian team” former Australian keeper Brad Haddin said.
“Imagine having that opportunity to be around Steve Smith, Usman, Marnus.”
It’s an incredible chance for the teen who only just finished his schooling in Geelong last year. But he’s no stranger to the demands of professional cricket, given father Clinton famously made a triple century against a touring Indian Youth outfit in the juniors.
“That’s a teenage sensation!” Haddin said of Peake on debut in the BBL against the Heat on Saturday.
“He comes in as a replacement in the middle order – watch this kid.
“He works the ball around, he’s got really good cricket smarts.
“There’s a lot of talk about him.
“He’s only a small man, but what he does do he plays the angles well.”
Teammate Jake Fraser-McGurk described Peake as a “dynamic” batsman.
“He reads the game really well for such a young bloke. I call him small guy, but he packs a punch!” he told Fox Cricket.
A Geelong product, Peake broke out earlier this year at the Under-19 Cricket World Cup, despite not initially expected to feature in the tournament.
Selected as a non-travelling reserve, the teenage found himself in the midst of the action following a broken finger to Western Australia’s Corey Wasley.
Peake took his opportunity with both hands, scoring a match-clinching 25 not out, before scores of 49 not out in the semi-final, and 46 not out in the final as Australia secured their fourth U-19 World Cup victory.
He followed a strong World Cup showing with a century while batting at No.3 and captaining Australia’s Under-19s in a youth ODI against India in September.
A few weeks later he once again captained Australia, this time in a youth Test against India, scoring 117 and 6 as India won by an innings and 120 runs.
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