Already devouring English bowling attacks at age 18, Jake Doran is certainly one to keep an eye on.
As a 17-year-old Doran was the leading run scorer for his country in the under 19 World Cup campaign, scoring 249 runs from five matches at an average of 83.
During the 2014-15 sesason he broke Doug Walters’ record as the youngest ever to debut in NSW’s second XI.
The wicketkeeper-batsman has played against England and Indian touring sides as part of a Cricket Australia XI, as well as a Big Bash League match for the Sydney Thunder, holding his own each time.
In the under 19 Australia vs England series he recorded two centuries and an innings of 82.
Hailing from Fairfield, his older brother Luke Doran has played three list A games, had 15 Big Bash appearances, and was a member of the victorious under 19 Australian World Cup team in 2010 – members of this squad included Nic Maddinson, Mitchell Marsh, Kane Richardson and Josh Hazlewood.
In recent years Jake has had to juggle school, just finishing at Hill Sports high school, with his ever-growing cricket commitments.
Greg Chappell was quoted as saying, “It’s not to say Jake is an exact replica of Mike Hussey but there are certain traits they share.”
Chris Rogers has also weighed in, stating that he possesses similar characteristics to England’s Andrew Strauss and that “Jake is ready for Shield cricket right now.”
As such, Doran has decided to pack his bags and move to Tasmania for a crack at Sheffield Shield.
The major persuasion from Tasmania in the two-year deal was the opportunity to play regular senior cricket instead of being stuck down in the pecking order back at New South Wales.
The challenge will be to continue to nurture and develop this precocious talent. Without yet having played a Sheffield Shield game there will always be doubters, but Doran could perhaps be thrown in the deep end sooner rather than later.
Of course Australia is in a rich vein of form at the moment, but with several players nearing the ends of their careers opportunities are becoming more apparent.
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