While old heads like Mike Hussey and Brad Hogg continue to show age is no barrier in the Big Bash League, there has been some fantastic young talent emerge in Australia’s premier T20 tournament.
So who makes the Under-23 team of the tournament for BBL05?
Jimmy Peirson (Brisbane Heat)
Wicketkeeper-batsman Jimmy Peirson has been given the opportunity to open the batting for the Brisbane Heat for the second year in a row, due to Joe Burns being restricted due to international commitments.
Vitally, Pierson hasn’t done much wrong with the gloves, taking three catches and creating two stumpings, his best coming against fellow keeper Tim Paine.
Although the 23-year-old has failed with the bat a few times this summer, his recent scores of 51 and 40 show that he has plenty of potential in the shorter format of the game. He is active at the crease, always looking to score, and can hit the ball a mile, as evidenced by his monster, 114-metre six against the Sydney Sixers.
Marcus Harris (Perth Scorchers)
Harris missed out on starting in BBL05 due to the strong opening partnership between Shaun Marsh and Michael Klinger, yet he was soon given the opportunity to come into the side at the expensive of veteran Englishman Michael Carberry, and the left-handed aggressor scored 36 off just 22 balls against the Brisbane Heat to get his side off to a flying start.
Harris is strong all around the ground, particularly on the offside, with a powerful cover drive being one of his trademarks.
At just 23 years of age, Harris has proven himself a big-game player, with a century under pressure in the Sheffield Shield final last year, as well as top scoring with 84 in the Cricket Australia XI’s inaugural (and only) win in the one-day cup.
Travis Head (Adelaide Strikers)
This tournament has been a real coming of age for Travis Head, after struggling for consistency in the longer formats of the game. Head is currently second on the completion’s run-scoring list, with an impressive 251 runs at 62.75, which includes three scores of 50-plus in a row.
The 22-year-old South Australian domestic skipper scored an unbeaten century (101*) to get the Strikers over the line on New Year’s Eve against the Sixers, his century coming off just 53 balls and including 4 fours 9 sixes – his last three majors coming in successive deliveries.
The left-hander is particularly strong on the offside, with a signature cut and classy cover drive. He has now put himself in the frame for the T20 ICC World Cup.
Jordan Silk (Sydney Sixers)
The young New South Welshman is known for two things: his famous one-handed catch in BBL03, and his insanely long neck!
Silk is one of the country’s finest young talents both with the bat and in the field, often being called up as a substitute fielder for the national team. He already has three first-class centuries to his name, yet has surprised many with his ability in the shortest format of the game. Silk saved the Sixers against the Hurricanes in their second match of the season, scoring an impressive 35 off 26 balls in a late cameo, before scoring 35 runs against a strong Melbourne Stars bowling line-up the following week.
Silk has currently hit a rough patch, with scores of 3,1 and 3 coming in his last three matches, yet that is to be expected from those without much experience.
Cameron Bancroft (Perth Scorchers)
After missing out on a potential Test debut in Bangladesh last year, Bancroft has turned to T20 cricket, as he eyes off his first BBL semi-final for the Perth Scorchers.
Bancroft has been forced to take the gloves this season, after wicketkeeper Sam Whiteman injured his thumb on the eve of the season opener. Although he has looked shaky at times behind the stumps, he has still managed to pluck five catches and a stumping to dismiss one of the modern greats in Kumar Sangakkara.
Bancroft hasn’t been required to bat too often this year, but when he has needed to he has looked as comfortable as ever, coming in at number four or five. He top-scored with an imposing 72 against the Sydney Thunder, picking off the likes of Jacques Kallis, Shane Watson and Clint McKay with ease.
Alex Ross (Adelaide Strikers)
‘Ross the Boss’ was all the rage after the opening two games of the season, with match-winning scores of 65 and 38, coming in at number six and saving the day for the Strikers.
Pundits have branded Ross as the ‘sweepologist’ due to his trademark sweep shot, where he gets down on one knee and delivers through the leg-side. He even managed to sweep Australian-capped bowlers John Hastings and Scott Boland for six in the Big Bash opener at Adelaide Oval.
He, along with fellow youngster Head, are just what South Australia have been screaming out for over the past decade. Ross had a couple of failures prior to New Year and he hasn’t been required to bat as yet in 2016 after two comprehensive victories from the Strikers.
Ashton Agar (Perth Scorchers)
Well known for making his Test debut as a 19-year-old, scoring a remarkable 98 at Trent Bridge, Agar has turned himself into a batting all-rounder, making Sheffield Shield centuries and coming in at number five for the Scorchers this season.
Agar has batted four times in the Big Bash for an average of 39.66, with a top-score of 68 coming against the Sydney Thunder in a match where he and fellow youngster Cameron Bancroft put on a 105-run fourth wicket partnership.
He has a fairly high grip when batting, much like legend Adam Gilchrist, which may need altering slightly to prevent unwanted turning of bat in hand. He is also more than capable with the ball, claiming key wickets of Sangakkara and Tim Paine in the Scorchers’ nail-biting victory over the Hurricanes.
Adam Zampa (Melbourne Stars)
The young leg-spinner has been around for a few years now, after being marked as the potential answer to Australia’s desperate call for a decent leg-spinner since the end of the Shane Warne era.
At 23, Zampa has played 24 domestic T20 matches to go with his 21 first-class matches, and 25 List A appearances. He signed a four-year deal with the Melbourne Stars after moving across from his adopted home state of South Australia, playing every game for the Stars this season.
After a slow start, he has taken four wickets at a tidy economy rate of 7.68 an over. The leg-spinner is prepared to toss the ball up to try and jag himself a wicket, working in tandem with the more economical Michael Beer.
Zampa must be considered a huge chance to make Australia’s T20 World Cup squad, with it coming down to himself and Cameron Boyce for a spot.
Joel Paris (Perth Scorchers)
The exciting left-arm fast bowler has the ability to swing the ball at high speeds, and is also a handy lower-order batsman. Paris took four wickets in BBL05, prior to departing for Australian ODI duties, his best figures being 2/39 against the Strikers.
His call-up to the national side, ahead of the likes of James Pattinson, John Hastings and Jason Behrendorff, shows that the selectors are willing to put their faith into the young talent. Paris does bowl a bit too short at times, and as a result has been on the receiving end of some big boundaries (8.04 economy).
Paris represented the Australian Under-19s at just 16, where he flourished for three years, and a huge short-format future lies ahead.
Sam Rainbird (Hobart Hurricanes)
The Tasmanian product has been on the Hurricanes’ list for three seasons now, and after failing to make an appearance in the past two tournaments, he has finally been given an opportunity in BBL05.
The left-arm quick has picked up six wickets in five games this season, with an impressive economy rate of 7.88. With the ability to swing the new ball, the 23-year-old has been successful in the Sheffield Shield, with 55 wickets from just 18 games.
At times Rainbird has been poor in the field, often being caught dazing in the deep, yet he has a lethal arm which has caused a couple of runouts already this season.
Billy Stanlake (Adelaide Strikers)
Standing at a towering 204 centimetres, Stanlake can stand eye-to-eye with West Indian legend Joel Garner, and reach similar speeds with the ball as well.
Stanlake has played just three games for the Strikers, yet he remains a vital cog for them with the recent departure of Kane Richardson due to national commitments.
Build your own fantasy cricket team and put it to the test with Draftstars daily fantasy competitions. Pick your match, pick your team and watch the points roll in to take out cash prizes on each match. What are you really gambling with? Set a deposit limit.
Insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results. This quote is often attributed to Albert Einstein, but nobody knows if he…
This series’ twelfth and final team has a distinct West Indian flavour at the top of the order, and a domineering captain.
Mitch Marsh has been appointed as Australia's men's Twenty20 captain, set to lead a squad to the World Cup that does not include Steve…
Australia are set to turn their back on rising star Jake Fraser-McGurk’s whirlwind IPL form and drop Steve Smith in their T20 World Cup…
If people can lose their job, and clubs can face massive payouts, due to the behaviour of coaches, it will drastically change the way sporting teams in Australia will be run.
Australian fast bowling great Jason Gillespie has been named head coach of Pakistan's Test team, as the nation overhauls its coaching department ahead of…
