Last Updated on 4 years ago by Charbel Coorey
Cricket News: I idolised Rahul Dravid growing up – Teague Wyllie | Young Australian Teague Wyllie talks about his batting
18-year old Western Australian batting sensation Teague Wyllie became the youngest player since Ricky Ponting in 1992/93 to hit a Sheffield Shield ton. His 104 off 204 balls against New South Wales was mighty impressive considering the low-scoring nature of the match, and also how the youngster went about accumulating his runs.
In the age of T20 cricket, Wyllie provides a bit of a throwback in terms of a focus on technique, patience and application. Also, his desire to stay focused on the job at hand, rather than celebrations, is a key feature of his attitude. Speaking to reporters after the match, Wyllie said that his father taught him the importance of going on with the job.
“My old boy drilled into me when you get a hundred that the job is not done. So I’ve never been a massive fan of carrying on, because I’m just trying to get the team into a good position.”
“A lot of the lads take the mickey out of me for not taking the helmet off but I just don’t like the attention from it.”
Western Australia captain Sam Whiteman echoed those words, telling ESPNcricinfo that Wyllie is an impressive young man who feels like he’s 28, rather than 18.
“He [Wyllie] said ‘tax accountants don’t celebrate when they do their tax return so I shouldn’t celebrate scoring a hundred'”, Whiteman said. “He loves batting and is an impressive young man. He feels like he’s 28.”
Rahul Dravid is the player I loved growing up – Teague Wyllie
In addition to his father, Wyllie said that Indian great Rahul Dravid had a big impact on how he has modelled his game. In terms of current players, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson is a player Wyllie admires.
“I idolised Rahul Dravid growing up,” Wyllie said. “He values his wicket more than anyone. Growing up I modelled my game on him a bit when it comes to valuing his wicket and batting for long periods. Kane Williamson is another who I try to learn a lot from.”
I love batting and Test cricket is the goal – Wyllie
Cricketers around the world – both young and experienced – are plying their trades in T20 leagues whilst earning large amounts. However, Wyllie’s focus is playing Test cricket for Australia, driven by his desire to bat long.
“Test cricket is the goal and I believe it is the pinnacle when it comes to cricket,” the 18-year old said. “I’ve always loved batting for a long period of time.”
Given he is now more known in cricketing circles, Wyllie has even been warned by the likes of Shaun Marsh regarding the risks of social media. However, Wyllie says he loves cricket too much to get caught up in external noise.
“I’ve spoken to a few of the senior guys…they got rid of social media. I haven’t gotten to that stage.”
“I don’t go looking into social media comments because it’s just white noise and it doesn’t matter that much,” he said. “I tend to stay out of the spotlight. I love batting.”
Western Australia’s next match in the Sheffield Shield is against Victoria starting on October 17 at Junction Oval, Melbourne.
