Five Rising Australian Players to Watch this Summer
Andrew Harriet |
With the Australian summer of cricket not too far away, the team at Before You Bet thought they would take a look at five developing Australian players who are rising through the ranks that you should keep an eye out for this summer.
1. Matt Short
Matt Short is a player who is on the rise, and while he’s been in the Australian system for a while now at 27 years of age, the national selectors are finally starting to take note of his consistent performances for the Adelaide Strikers in the BBL. Short is a true triple threat – a devastating opening batsman, a more than handy off spinner, and a superb fieldsman. He finally gets his chance to show his talents at an International level with a debut in the T20 series against South Africa which may be the launch pad for a successful T20 career on the world’s biggest stages. Watch out for him in BBL13 this year!
2. Spencer Johnson
Australia’s fast bowling stocks are in very good shape with a lot of depth at state level. This is evident by the fact that Spencer Johnson is only finally cracking through at 27 years of age. Johnson is extremely swift through the air and shapes the ball nicely, which makes him a real handful with the white ball. He’s yet to transition that form into red ball cricket, but it seems only a matter of time. Like Matt Short, Johnson is finally getting a look at International cricket in the T20 series against South Africa, and he could very quickly find himself as a regular in Australian colours.
3. Caleb Jewell
Australia are on the verge of a new generation of batsmen, and the opening position is one that creates plenty of debate. Khawaja and Warner are ageing and very close to retirement, but clearly the selectors aren’t blown away by the next tier of openers in Harris, Bancroft and Renshaw, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see them go beyond them to take a chance on someone else. Perhaps that man is Tasmanian Caleb Jewell. Making his first-class debut as an 18 year old, Jewell’s record is modest, so there’s still a big summer of runs between him and national selection, but perhaps that’s perfect timing if he can perform this season. Jewell is a natural stroke player but offers everything you’d want in a gritty opener. One to watch!
4. Tanveer Sangha
Todd Murphy is the heir apparent to the throne of Nathan Lyon when he hangs up the boots. However it’s a massive ask to fill the boots of the GOAT and there will be obvious direct comparisons between the two with Murphy a like-for-like off spinner. It’s quite possible that the Aussies will want something different in future and Tanveer Sangha might fit that bill. Has missed some cricket through injury but Sangha is still only 21 years of age, so there’s a huge amount of potential there with the leggie. If he can string together a strong season or two, then he’ll be right in the mix for higher honours.
5. Aaron Hardie
Having a world-class all-rounder was always the golden goose for the Australian cricket side, but now they seem to be spoilt for choice with Mitch Marsh and Cameron Green entrenched in the national setup. It’s meant that Aaron Hardie has had to take a back seat in WA for some time, but he’s now grabbing his opportunity with both hands to show that there might be another option in future. Hardie scored an incredible 174* in the 21/22 Shield final and averages a solid 42 with the bat and under 30 with the ball. At just 24 years of age, Hardie is ready to knock down the door for higher honours.
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