Australia is ready to go for their under 19 world cup campaign.
The series – which will feature some of Australia’s best young cricketers in action – set to begin on Thursday night, with Australia starting their campaign on Friday against Ireland.
It’s set to be the next big moment for Geelong gun Oliver Peake as he captains the side in the event in Namibia.
Peake heads to Namibia having just starred for the Melbourne Renegades against the Perth Scorchers, hitting the match winning six in their clash.
Peake has become one of the faces to watch in Australian cricket, having now registered three first class fifties and a top score of 92 for Australia A, as well as making 57 for the Renegades at home in Geelong against Brisbane earlier in the season.
The Geelong young gun earning praise of big names across the sport, including Adam Gilchrist.
“I think Ollie is a clear and obvious one, the way he has made an impression in Big Bash and also in domestic cricket and I think we have a really exciting batch of kids coming through,” he told Fox Sports.
“I would expect he would be very successful in the under-19 carnival, and that is a very important pathway because you can get some sort of read on what the future looks like.”
The event has historically been a showcase of future stars – Australia’s 2002 championship campaign was captained by Cameron White, while the 2010 winning team was captained by Mitch Marsh.
Australian U19 World Cup group matches (all times AEDT)
Game 5: Australia v Ireland, Windhoek, Friday Jan 16, 6.30pm
Game 16: Australia v Japan, Windhoek, Tuesday Jan 20, 6.30pm
Game 23: Australia v Sri Lanka, Windhoek, Friday Jan 23, 6.30pm
