Ollie Peake and Thomas Rew headline the first edition of Next In, a brand-new monthly series analysing cricket’s brightest under-25 talents.
Rew v Peake: The Future of Ashes Battles
In the middle of a busy period for Australian cricket, attention now turns to a white-ball series against England at home. When the visitors named their T20 squad in October, one name in particular stood out: Thomas Rew.
The 18-year-old ‘keeper-batter and his 22-year-old brother James have been two of the most hyped prospects to come out of England in recent years. The pair got a taste of an Australian Ashes summer last year, giving fans a glimpse of their talent. James scored an unbeaten 92 against the Prime Minister’s XI and hit the winning runs in November.
Both were then named in the England Lions team that took on Australia A at Allan Border Field. You may recall Nathan McSweeney making an unbeaten 226 as Australia A won that match by an innings and 127 runs. While older brother James struggled with seven runs in the first innings and a duck in the second, Thomas looked more assured in what was his first-class debut. He chipped in with 19 in the first innings, then hit seven fours and a six in the second knock, putting on 47 from 61 balls.
Rew built his case for a potential T20I cap with strong form for Somerset in the Vitality Blast earlier this year. Ironically, it was against McSweeney’s Northamptonshire that the younger Rew looked best. He blasted 57 from 30 balls in the first head-to-head and then 46 off 20 in the second.
He showed dominance against the spinners, sweeping and reverse sweeping well. He even stepped down the pitch with ease to launch a six over long off in the first match. His cut shot may be the most aesthetically pleasing regular boundary option at this stage. Even without much room, he pierces gaps with it against pace bowlers.
Rew also showcased a destructive leg-side game in the second outing against Northamptonshire. He stepped across his stumps and dropped to one knee against skipper David Willey, pulling a deliberate rocket well over deep fine leg and out of the ground. Shortly before that, he sent one over deep mid-wicket and high into the pavilion.
England’s T20I squad is certainly leaning younger, but there is no guarantee Rew will make his debut. Jofra Archer, Joe Root, Josh Tongue, Ben Duckett and Gus Atkinson will only play in the ODI series. The T20I squad still boasts the likes of Harry Brook, Jamie Overton, Jacob Bethell, Will Jacks and Sam Curran.
If Rew is the big drawcard for English fans, the same can be said for Australian fans and Ollie Peake. The two are progressing at a similar pace since going head-to-head as captains of their respective countries earlier this year at the U19 ICC ODI World Cup.
Peake began to build momentum by delivering stunning performances for the Melbourne Renegades. In fact, he and Rew share the same top List A T20 score of 57. Peake then played eight ODIs for Australia this year, and his 41 off just 18 balls against Zimbabwe was a clear sign of what he can do at the death. If you missed that game, 24 runs came from the last over. Peake hit three sixes, with arguably the best shot being a controlled effort over long off.
Peake knows there is a perception about his lack of power as a smaller-framed player, but he has shown serious shot-making in recent outings. If we compare the two at Big Bash and Vitality Blast level (List A T20), Rew has been the more destructive player. With a strike rate in the 150s and a 24 per cent boundary rate, Rew is getting his work done quickly as an opener.
Both have fared better against spinners than against pace, but Peake has shown his ability against high-quality quicks. He has previously sent the Pakistani duo of Haris Rauf and Shaheen Shah Afridi for six. And who could forget his match-winning shot against the Scorchers, where he dispatched Aaron Hardie in a final-ball thriller.
With Peake named on Monday in Australia’s ODI squad and Rew selected only for the shortest format for England, it seems unlikely we will see these two head-to-head in an international this summer. Still, any glimpse of two of the better prospects of the next generation is going to capture attention.
Who Should We Watch in WBBL|12?
With the Weber WBBL|12 underway, the young breakout contenders field looks to be a wide one.
Caoimhe Bray feels like she has been around forever but is still just 17. The Sixers prodigy has shown she can step up with both bat and ball in key moments.
Tess Flintoff (Melbourne Renegades) became one of the best players in the WNCL last season, but we haven’t seen the best of her in the WBBL yet.
Eleanor Larosa, 20, from the Strikers has shown flashes of becoming a genuine allrounder, with her left-arm pace the hallmark of her game at present.
Then there is a quartet of bowlers on the precipice of the next level. Chloe Ainsworth (Perth Scorchers) has shown the most so far, but Milly Illingworth (Melbourne Renegades) and Lily Bassingthwaite (Brisbane Heat) are pressing hard. Spinner Hasrat Gill has also taken a step forward for the Sydney Thunder, collecting a bundle of wickets in the Spring Challenge, including a player-of-the-match-worthy 3-21 against the Scorchers.
Finally, it is cheating to include 26-year-old Maddie Penna in a column focused on players 25 and under, but she was named player of the tournament for the Spring Challenge. Molly Strano recently pegged her as someone who could push for Australian selection soon on The Scoop.
What’s Changed in Konstas’ Game?
Sam Konstas kicked off his summer with a bang, but things look a little different compared with his barnstorming Test start two years ago against Jasprit Bumrah.
The pair of four-day Australia A appearances in India at the end of September served as valuable learning experiences. He never dominated there, but he built three starts in four innings (25, 20, 2 and 40). Of those 87 runs, just 20 came from boundaries.
The emphatic reminder of his talent came in a double demolition of Western Australia in late October. In round two of the Sheffield Shield, he returned and dominated in front of Australian selector Tony Dodemaide. He was happy to take a backseat on aggression in the first innings. His 71 off 142 contrasted sharply with fellow opener Ollie Davies‘ 52, who went at around a 90 strike rate.
The dominance continued in the second innings. With New South Wales in a commanding position, Konstas pulled out an unbeaten 151 from 167 balls. His teammates produced consistent starts around him, but he did the lion’s share of the work.
Despite the uptick in tempo, Konstas’ shot selection was more orthodox than in previous years. He punished width well and looked assured with free-flowing off-drives. By the 14th over, he was in a near run-a-ball groove and premeditated a dance down the pitch to launch a Joel Paris delivery back over his head. The daring shot appeared again 10 overs later when he stepped away to guide a shot over first slip for another boundary, perhaps the cheekiest stroke of the day. Once past his century, he pushed the pace against spinner Corey Rocchiccioli with three consecutive boundaries in the 47th over.
Just four days later, Konstas ripped off 149 from 131 balls in a One-Day Cup win, again against Western Australia. The shot-making held a similar approach to his Sheffield Shield ton. Like Paris earlier in the week, WA quick Albert Esterhuysen will not soon forget how Konstas punished him over his head time and time again. Fellow quick Mahli Beardman conceded 18 runs in the 44th over, with the final ball guided calmly over slip with a flourish. Beardman got his revenge a few overs later, dismissing Konstas with a catch in the deep, but the damage was already done.
Perhaps the most encouraging sign after this purple patch was his post-Shield quote on where his headspace lies.
“I’m feeling very good, like I have a lot of clarity in the way I am batting,” Konstas said.
A Glimmer From Plimmer
New Zealand captain Amelia Kerr said it best after the October T20I series against Australia.
“I’d love to see more Kiwis get a shot in the Weber WBBL. Six years ago, we had a lot of Kiwis playing in the Big Bash. That would be awesome.”
Kerr highlighted veteran Maddy Green‘s innings in the first T20I against Australia as an eye-catching moment that should put her on the watch list for Big Bash teams. Hobart heeded the call, adding Green as an international replacement for Linsey Smith on the eve of the season. But what about 22-year-old opener Georgia Plimmer?
The unbeaten 85 Plimmer posted at North Sydney Oval at the start of the series was her career-best T20I score, and it stood in stark contrast to her recent months. She struggled to get going at the World Cup earlier this year. Before that, she recorded two golden ducks against England in May, including a chop on to Lauren Bell and a regrettably casual chip straight back to Linsey Smith that surely caused nightmares.
CricViz’s player ratings show her as well balanced across different moments and situations. Its skill scales describe her as a batter with a good mix of control and aggression, but she lacks a touch of innovation and power. They also label her a slower starter. Indeed, it was not until the 12th ball that she showed footwork and strength to go down the ground against Lucy Hamilton.
Her class, footwork and willingness to show her stumps held her in good stead as she stepped away and delivered time and time again through point and cover. A slashing shot against Ash Gardner was the pick of the bunch. The innings wasn’t filled with huge hoists, but Plimmer sweetly timed a pull off Nic Carey for six to show some force and eclipse her previous high score of 63.
Plimmer was fortunate on multiple occasions, with Beth Mooney missing some chances behind the stumps. Perhaps this will be a building block for her ahead of New Zealand’s home series against Bangladesh in December. By the time the Kiwis return for the ODI series in March, we may need further discussion about the opener.