Son of Steve Waugh at elite camp

Some of Australia’s most promising young cricketers aged between 14 and 17 have been announced for the 2017 Cricket Australia Pathway Rookie Camp.

The four-day camp at the Bupa National Cricket Centre in Brisbane from January 16 to 19 will give the country’s up-and-coming players an insight into life as a professional cricketer.

Among the 32-player squad are NSW Blues and Sydney Thunder rookie Jason Sangha, who represented the Cricket Australia XI at the Matador BBQs One-Day Cup in October, and Victoria’s Will Sutherland, captain of the Cricket Australia XI under-17 side which will compete at the Under 19 National Championships beginning in Adelaide next week.

Queensland’s Angus Lovell, the player of the tournament at the Under 17 National Championships, and Austin Waugh, player of the final at the same event, also feature.

Cricket Australia Pathways Manager Graham Manou said:

“The Pathways Rookie Program was developed to provide Australia’s finest young cricketers access to the best development opportunities at a pivotal time in their development as players and people,” Manou said.

“This camp is an essential part of this program, and an invaluable experience into what the life of a professional cricketer entails, including access to the best facilities and coaches in the country.

“We believe this camp will build on the state-based high performance pathway programs and give these players greater exposure to the top level.

“With so many opportunities in sport for young Australians, we are determined to do everything we can to develop and engage the players in our Pathway to ensure Australian cricket has a wealth of talent to call on in the years to come."

The camp is an extension of the Cricket Australia Pathways Rookie Program, which was launched in 2015, and this year incorporates 53 players in the 14 to 17-year-old age bracket from across the country.

The Pathways Rookie Program Squad is based on a percentage of population and the average of players chosen for representative teams from each state - comprising 17 representatives from New South Wales, 15 from Victoria, six from Western Australia, six from Queensland, four from South Australia and two from Tasmania, plus an additional three players from Tasmania in this year’s intake.

The players are then categorised as either Gold, Silver or Bronze rookies – and it is the players in the Gold Rookie category who have been named for the camp.

This will be the second Pathways Rookie Camp, following the success of the inaugural event in January 2016.

Simultaneously, five players in the Gold Rookie category will be representing the Australian under-16s team in a series against Pakistan in Dubai and therefore unable to attend, including captain Mackenzie Harvey, who will also play for the Cricket Australia XI at the upcoming Under 19 National Championships.

CA Pathways Rookie Camp Squad

NSW: Aiden Bariol, Jack Edwards, Sam Fanning, Joel Foster, Baxter Holt, Ryan McElduff, Jason Sangha, Thomas Sowden, Austin Waugh

QLD: Blake Edwards, Angus Lovell, Mitch Connelly, Connor McFadyen, Lachlan Prince

SA: Joshua Hoffman*, Angus Judd*, Lloyd Pope

TAS: Jarrod Freeman, Keegan Oates

VIC: Shubham Bhargave, Triyan De Silva, Samuel Elliott, Zak Evans, Mackenzie Harvey*, Nathan Murphy, Mitch Perry, Patrick Rowe, Will Sutherland

WA: Bryce Jackson, Damien Burrage*, Jordan Clark*, Emile van der Merwe

*Indicates player will be representing the Australia under-16s against Pakistan in Dubai during this time

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