Four Victorians earn under-19 selection

Showcasing Australia’s top emerging talent, Liam Banthorpe, Sam Grimwade, Sam Harper and Pat McKenna have been selected in the 15-player squad that will face Sri Lanka’s under-19 squad in five one-day matches and one three-day match in Colombo.

“It’s a great opportunity to make an underage national team at any time but the great thing for these guys is that it’s a tour leading into a season,” Cricket Victoria State Talent Manager Andrew Lynch said.

“The boys will have the chance to gain some match practice, experiencing international conditions.

“This particular squad has been picked with an eye to the future and will have the opportunity to impress overseas with the chance of being selected to represent Australia at the next Under-19 World Cup in a couple of years.”

Carlton’s McKenna will play a significant role in the leadership group, using his captaincy experience from Victoria’s Under-19 and Under-17 National Championship campaigns.

“Pat has great leadership skills, to the point where he was made captain of Victoria’s under-19s side as a bottom-aged player,” Lynch said.

The left-hand bat and part-time right-arm off-spinner, who made his Toyota Futures League debut in February, noted that adapting to the conditions would be a challenge.

“I’ve been doing a lot of work with High Performance Academy Head Coach Jarrad Loughman in the nets at the MCG,” McKenna said.

“We’ve been trying all sorts of things to try and replicate the turn and heat that we are going to experience over there.”

Victorian Under-17 representative Grimwade has shown a lot of promise at a young age, making his first XI debut for Prahran last season.

“Sam is a really exciting player,” Lynch said.

“As a bottom-aged player, he bowled beautifully at the under-17s tournament last season and was probably the most impressive spinner at the carnival.

“It’s a great opportunity for him to be selected in this squad at such a young age.”

The right-arm off-spinner acknowledged that the tour would assist in his development, giving him an insight into international conditions and allowing him to continue learning from an esteemed group of coaches.

“We are going to have a great coaching panel over there so I’m looking forward to picking their brains as much as I can so that I can put it into place at home,” Grimwade said.

Melbourne Cricket Club’s Harper also earned selection in the squad along with fellow wicket-keeper Banthorpe.

The right-hand bat, Harper, impressed at last season’s Under-17 National Championships being named captain of the Team of the Tournament while regular first XI Fitzroy Doncaster player Banthorpe showed his versatility in the batting order in his second year at the tournament.

“Sam captained Victoria’s under-17s side last season and is also a good leader, making 343 runs at the tournament,” Lynch said.

“He’s impressed a lot of people and we see him having a big future in the game in Victoria.

“Liam was also a fairly consistent scorer at last season’s under-17s carnival, making a big hundred towards the end of the tournament.”

Along with attending April’s under-18 male talent camp at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane, the boys have also been preparing for the tournament with Cricket Victoria’s High Performances coaches as well as former Sri Lankan batsman Tilan Samaraweera and Commonwealth Bank Bushranger David Hussey.

The team will assemble in Brisbane on September 20 and will depart for Sri Lanka the following day with their first match being played on September 25.

Australian U19 15-man squad
Liam Banthorpe (VIC)
Lain Beckett (NSW)
Izaac Boylan (SA)
David Grant (SA)
Sam Grimwade (VIC)
Sam Harper (VIC)
Tom Healy (QLD)
Clint Hinchliffe (WA)
Matthew Kuhnemann (QLD)
Patrick McKenna (VIC)
Jonte Pattison (NSW)
Matthew Renshaw (QLD)
Jhye Richardson (WA)
Kyle Scrimegour (NT)
Jake Winter (SA)

Australian U19 tour to Sri Lanka match fixture
September 25 – First one-day match, Sinhalese Sports Club
September 27 – Second one-day match, R Premadasa International Cricket Stadium
September 29 – Third one-day match, Tamil Union Cricket and Athletic CC
October 1 – Fourth one-day match, Colombo Cricket Club
October 3 – Fifth one-day match, Nondescript Cricket Club
October 7 to 9, three-day match, Colombo Colts Cricket Club