7 Australian cricketers to watch out for in decade 2020-2029

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Last Updated on 5 years by Charbel Coorey

7 Australian cricketers to watch out for in the next decade | Tim Paine praises Cameron Green | Tim Paine says Australia can get very excited about Cameron Green

Australian captain Tim Paine believes Australia can “get excited” about all-rounder Cameron Green.

21-year old Western Australian Green has eye-catching First Class numbers so far. He averages 43.84 with the bat and 21.53 with the ball after 15 matches, and skipper Paine is understandably excited.

“I don’t want to put too much pressure on him, but I think all Australian cricket fans can get very excited about the prospect of Cam Green,” said Paine.

“I’ve played a few Shield games against him and the first one all the senior guys noticed him bowling first and we thought ‘geez he’s a bit quicker and a bit better than I thought he’d be’ and all the young blokes are saying ‘just wait until you see him bat’, and we thought ‘there’s no way he’s going to be able to bat like he bowls’ and then he came out and hit a hundred.”

So, with this in mind, I will go through my seven Australian cricketers to keep a close eye on in the next decade.

1. Cameron Green

Cameron Green, of course. However, the opening wasn’t enough to describe just how talented he is.

Sure, his batting average is double that of his bowling, but the manner in which he scored his runs during the 2019/20 season was most pleasing. He scored three centuries, often rescuing Western Australia from positions of distress. A stress fracture in his back limited the amount of bowling he could do last season, but he can deliver with the bat when needed. After all, 699 runs at 63.54 last season is some return.

Green has the potential to be the dream all-rounder Australia have been looking for in Test cricket for some time. Indeed, with three hundreds and two five-wicket hauls before the age of 21 (just the second player after Doug Walter to achieve this feat), Green has what it takes to live up to his potential.

Also read: Who is the best Test all-rounder right now?

5 Australian cricketers to watch out for in the next decade | Tim Paine praises Cameron Green | Tim Paine says Australia can get very excited about Cameron Green
5 Australian cricketers to watch out for in the next decade: Cameron Green has all the makings to be a great cricketer for Australia.

2. Jake Fraser-McGurk

Displaying maturity beyond his young years, Jake Fraser-McGurk’s debut fifties on both List A and FC debut as a 17-year old looks to be the start of a very special career.

Having recently turned 18, Fraser-McGurk has a huge season and future ahead of him. His strokeplay is audacious yet pleasing on the eye in equal manner, and has already shown in his very brief state career so far that he is one to rely on to give his team a chance in close matches.

McGurk’s authoritative and confident approach has caught the eye of pundits and fans. His dream is to play Test cricket for Australia, and if he can build on such a promising start, there is little doubt he’ll get there.

3. Josh Philippe

23-year old Josh Philippe, who very closely resembled Steve Smith when he burst onto the scene in 2017, is living his dream.

Philippe was brought up in a cricketing family, as his mother played for Western Australia and his father for the 2nd XI. He fell in love with the game at a young age, and is now going from strength-to-strength, particularly in white-ball cricket. The most recent BBL season (2019/20) was Philippe’s best, and won him an IPL contract with Royal Challengers Bangalore.

With all the shots in the book, he has what it takes to become Australia’s mainstay in white-ball cricket over the next decade. However, experts believe he also has potential in red-ball cricket, and while an average of 28.22 after 19 FC games isn’t much to write home about, Philippe has the talent and belief to bump this up significantly over the next few years.

5 Australian cricketers to watch out for in the next decade | Tim Paine praises Cameron Green | Tim Paine says Australia can get very excited about Cameron Green
5 Australian cricketers to watch out for in decade 2020-2029: Josh Philippe is one to watch

4. Jack Edwards

20-year old Jack Edwards has been on the state scene for a couple of years, and has made an impression.

In 2018, he became the youngest player to score an Australian domestic one-day century, hitting a classy 116 off 112 balls vs Queensland. He also has a FC century to his name, and given the time and talent on his side, he is more than capable of improving on his current average of 26.63 after 13 matches. One to watch as Australia seek to build their batting stocks over the next 5-10 years.

5. Nathan Ellis

Nathan Ellis’ story is quite remarkable. Despite a superb run of form over four years in grade cricket in New South Wales (160 wickets at 22), Ellis felt that a move south to Tasmania would provide him with more opportunities. So, he ditched his commerce degree and focused on cricket, and started working as a labourer to ensure he would have enough money to get by.

Then, when he got his crack in the Australian 2019/2020 season, he made it count. He took 12 wickets in seven matches in the Marsh Cup (domestic one-day competition), became Hobart Hurricanes’ go to man at the death in the BBL and took 18 wickets in his first two FC matches, showcasing his ability to take the ball away from the right-hander.

However, his biggest highlight was his five-for on Marsh Cup debut. He outbowled a New South Wales side featuring Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, who took four wickets between them. One to watch.

Nathan Ellis is all effort, with skill to boot.

6. Riley Meredith

Riley Meredith has sent waves throughout domestic one-day cricket over the past couple of years, impressing the likes of Shane Warne, Mitchell Johnson and Brett Lee.

Meredith’s pace, which exceeds 140km/h, is his most obvious attribute, but his terrific slower ball and understanding of a match situation has him touted as a future white-ball cricketer for Australia. If he can continue to develop his skills and execute when it matters, he will be challenging for a green and gold shirt soon.

7. Liam Hatcher

23-year old Liam Hatcher is part of Australia’s next line of fast bowlers.

Australia have been blessed with magnificent fast bowlers over the years, and Hatcher has all the attributes to have a successful career. With a rythmical run-up and pace exceeding 140km/h, Hatcher has made a very promising start to his FC career, with 11 wickets in four matches at an average under 30.

He has proven to be a very capable player for New South Wales when the likes of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are on national duty. So, his development will be one to keep an eye on as he plays more top level cricket.