Australia’s cricketing depth has been quickly questioned after their first Test loss to India — but in reality, the number of young cricketers coming through the ranks are more than steady.
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And while only four players under the age of 25 have represented Australia at the top level, there are a plethora of players beginning to make vacancies in state level sides their own.
Here are foxsports.com.au’s 25 best players under the age of 25 in Australian professional cricket!
Todd Murphy (24) – Victoria/St Kilda
Touted as Nathan Lyon’s heir in the coming years, Murphy is arguably Australia’s best bowler of the emerging generation. The 24-year-old toured India in early 2023 with great success, with 21 wickets in four matches at an average of 25.42. With a mature head on his shoulders and Test experience against the world’s best on foreign soil, Murphy is well placed to take the reins when Lyon calls time on his career. This summer, he’ll look to keep toiling away at domestic level and in the BBL – with an expectation from many he’ll be the second spinner to tour Sri Lanka early next year; with Western Australia’s Corey Rocchiccioli also a chance to join him. His white-ball work also shouldn’t go unnoticed either; currently holding a ridiculous economy of just six from his 19 games – a seriously impressive rate as a right-arm off-spinner.
Jake Fraser-McGurk (22) – South Australia/West Torrens
The emerging superstar took the cricketing world by storm last year with his world record List A century, bringing up the milestone off an absurd 29 balls. There has never been any doubt over Fraser-McGurk’s talent, with a move to South Australia from former state Victoria helping unlock his game. Opportunities at international level have come as a result of solid Big Bash form and an incredible IPL in 2024, but there’s no doubt the 22-year-old still has a lot to learn. It often goes forgotten how young the prodigy batter actually is, with a very bright future ahead of him.
Cooper Connolly (21) – Western Australia/Scarborough
The WA product has similarities in his game to Fraser-McGurk, but with the added bonus of bowling left-arm orthodox. A left-handed bat who can slot anywhere in the line-up, Connolly made a cameo white-ball appearance for Australia in the UK this winter, before lining up on his home turf in Perth against Pakistan. Unfortunately, he suffered a fractured hand while batting which will sideline him for the next little period – but there’s no denying he is highly rated by Australian selectors. His first-class and BBL careers has gotten off to a sublime start, while his domestic one-day currently has the most room for improvement.
Sam Konstas (19) – New South Wales/Sutherland
Floated by some as a viable opening contender for this summer’s Test series against India, the talent that the Sutherland product has on offer is clear. The 19-year-old peeled off back-to-back hundreds against South Australia earlier this summer, earning him a spot in Australia A’s squad to play India A. After missing out in his first three innings, he hit a strong 73 not out in the second innings against the tourists at the MCG. Throw in a 90-ball century for the PM’s XI against a strong Indian attack on the weekend for good measure. It goes without saying that at his young age, Konstas still has a lot to work on given his raw nature and lack of exposure at a high level, but all the right signs are there for him to become a future international gun – he just needs time, which he has plenty of.
Tanveer Sangha (23) – New South Wales/Campbelltown-Camden
The right-arm leg-spinner was exposed briefly at international level at the back end of 2023, playing in both white-ball formats against India and South Africa. His 4/31 against the Proteas on debut was seriously impressive, and highlighted his ceiling in years to come. It’s T20 cricket that Sangha has taken a liking to the most at domestic level, with varying success in the red-ball format to start his career. Opportunities in Australia’s shortest-form side will no doubt appear in the coming years, and will no doubt be at the front of the mind of selectors.
Fergus O’Neill (23) – Victoria/Melbourne
A criminally underrated player at domestic level, the Melbourne CC bowling all-rounder is genuinely mounting a case to be picked in Test squads at international level. O’Neill took 40 wickets at an average of just 17.25 last season, and averaged a tick under 28 with the stick in the lower order. While he isn’t as quick as most of his domestic counterparts, he is both cagey and crafty with ball in hand. The 23-year-old left India A in all sorts in their second innings earlier this month, with no opposition bat yet to work him out after 23 first-class matches since his debut in 2022.
Jordan Buckingham (24) – South Australia/West Torrens
The Victorian-born pace bowler earned a contract with South Australia ahead of the 2021/22 season, and hasn’t looked back. From 21 first-class matches, the right-armer has claimed 74 wickets at an average just over 28; including four five-wicket hauls. His white-ball sample size is much smaller, but he does own best figures of 6/41 from his four List A games. Having made multiple appearances for Australia A in the last 24 months, it’s clear he is rated by the national selectors – and with good reason.
Brody Couch (24) – Western Australia/Scarborough
Couch sneaks onto this list by the thinnest of margins, given he turns 25 on December 5 this year. Previously contracted for a couple years at Victoria before being cut, the right-arm quick played a season at grade cricket at Northcote before trekking west to join Western Australia’s list. Couch has started strongly in his second state, having taken 13 wickets at an average of 29 so far this red-ball season. Capable of clocking north of 145km/h on the speed gun and contracted with the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash, Couch is a bowler with more than just one string to his bow.
Campbell Kellaway (22) – Victoria/Melbourne
Victoria’s best young batter that regularly plays at domestic level, Kellaway is an elegant top-order bat that has maturity well beyond his years. And after 25 first-class matches, Kellaway hit his maiden century at the level against Queensland in his pink-ball Shield game at the Gabba. His exposure to the level at just 22 years of age will pay strong dividends, and given his worth as a solid fielder too, the Melbourne CC product is certainly one to keep an eye on in the years to come.
Ollie Davies (24) – New South Wales/Manly Warringah
Davies has long been touted as one of the most talented young batter in the country. He made his Big Bash debut in 2020, his One Day debut in 2021 but then had to wait until 2023 to feature in the Sheffield Shield competition. The 24-year-old strikes the ball as clean as anyone in Australia, but had struggled to churn out runs in the red ball format which led to doubts around his future as a long format cricketer. However, Davies put together an impressive run that began with a century against Western Australia and ended with another against Queensland in March. Davies averages 43.60 in first-class cricket, and he will be hoping to bump up his T20 average of 20.68 with yet another BBL campaign with the Thunder.
Jack Edwards (24) – New South Wales/Manly Warringah
It’s crazy to think that the New South Wales all-rounder is still only 24 years of age, given he made his first-class debut over six years ago. His record with the ball in both four-day and one-day cricket is very sound, and with two hundreds each with the bat across the two formats as well – it’s evident he has all the skills to make it at international level at some point in his career. Add in his value as a strong slips fielder, and there’s not too much more you could want from a cricketer. His leadership credentials are also well-documented, having captained NSW.
Jayden Goodwin (22) – Western Australia/Subiaco-Floreat
The West Australian prodigy has been in excellent form of late for his home state, having hit two fifties and a century (139) this Sheffield Shield. The son of former Zimbabwe gun Murray Goodwin, Jayden debuted at state level three years ago as an opener, before slotting comfortably into the number three position. With a solid and sound technique, he has shown to have all the qualities of a future Test top-order bat with a couple more years of stat cricket under his belt.
Thomas Kelly (23) – South Australia/Sturt
The middle-order bat from South Australia is arguably as talented as any other counterpart on this list, and promisingly, has recently signed a three-year deal at the Adelaide Strikers. His home state rightly continues to back him in as he finds his feet at state level against a red-ball, with his limited overs game improving exponentially. A star of the future, Kelly is ready to make the number four or five spot in South Australia’s line-up his own for the next decade. Both a blessing and a curse, Kelly is excellent at starting his innings well – next it’s just about turning them into big scores like he has done so often at grade level.
Jack Nisbet (21) – New South Wales/Mosman
Nisbet burst onto the state scene in late 2023, making his One Day and Sheffield Shield debut within a week of each other. The tall and zippy seamer used to play for Sydney before moving to Mosman in the NSW Premier Cricket competition as one of the most dangerous bowlers in the competition. Since his debut, the 21-year-old has played seven first-class games with 21 wickets at a solid average of 24.85, with 5/53 being his best figures. Nisbet’s pace has picked up in recent years, and the rising star is only going to get better with more experience in a state outfit filled with elite fast bowlers.
Liam Haskett (23) – Western Australia/Claremont-Nedlands
Another promising quick out of the Western Australia rocket factory, Haskett has had an impressive start to his first-class career. His left-arm seamers have been extra troubling of late for opposition orders, having taken five three-wicket hauls in his last eight bowling innings. The quick fought his way to a state contract with WA last season, after multiple successful seasons with Claremont-Nedlands in premier cricket. Standing at over two metres tall, Haskett is a nuisance to face across all grounds; let alone his home ground at the WACA.
Liam Scott (23) – South Australia/Glenelg
It’s been a gradual start to the domestic career of Liam Scott, but the bowling all-rounder looks to have found his groove in first-class cricket as a reliable bowling option, who can also offer assistance with the bat. Scott was arguably seen initially as more of a batter than bowler, with South Australia promoting him as high as three during the early stages of his career. His batting is probably yet to reach the heights it is certainly capable of at professional level, but he’ll no doubt continue to benefit from more exposure at just 23 years of age.
Sam Elliott (24) – Victoria/Fitzroy-Doncaster
The lanky right-arm quick is the son of former Australian Test batter Matthew Elliott, and has excelled when given the opportunity at state level with not just ball, but also bat. Granted, it’s a sample size of six games – but he currently has a higher batting average than bowling average in first-class cricket; a sign of a promising all-rounder. The 24-year-old is no doubt deserving of a regular spot in Victoria’s starting line-up; despite the state’s deep fast bowling stocks. With his tall frame, Elliott proves tough to face – often sending down balls at an awkward length for batters to play at.
Mackenzie Harvey (24) – South Australia/Sturt
After being discarded by his home state Victoria, Mackenzie Harvey looks to have well and truly found his groove in his second home of South Australia. The left-handed opener hit a whirlwind 156 off 132 balls to start off his grade season at Sturt, before replicating the innings with 134* (110) against his former state a month later at Karen Rolton Oval. Consistency will be key for the 24-year-old, but as many know, the ceiling is very high for the Melbourne Renegades player.
Joel Davies (21) – New South Wales/Manly Warringah
The younger brother of Ollie Davies, Joel is yet to make his debut for his state – but has played seven Big Bash games to date. A left-handed bat and slow left-arm orthodox bowler, the former Australian Under 19 player his highly touted by many in Sydney cricket circles, and will be searching for a strong season at grade level across the summer to push his name forward for state selection.
Will Salzmann (21) – New South Wales/Sydney University
A lively all-rounder out of New South Wales, the former Australian Under 19 player has burst onto the state scene in his seven List A matches to date; taking a very impressive 16 wickets. He’s been unlucky to not play more domestic cricket in his very short tenure at professional level, but surely can’t be far off more exposure in the back half of this season.
Cam McClure (23) – Victoria/Prahran
Of a similar mould to teammate Sam Elliott, McClure is slightly rawer than Elliott, but has all the attributes of a future gun seamer. He has featured regularly for Victoria so far this year, and has been contracted with the Melbourne Stars in recent seasons. With 19 wickets from his first 10 first-class games, McClure will only get better with time as he finds his feet at professional level.
Tom Whitney (22) – Queensland/Western Suburbs
The 22-year-old stormed onto the first-class scene with eight wickets on debut in October against South Australia, making an instant name for himself with his right-arm pace. A former Australian U19 player like others on this list, Whitney can also swing from the hip with the bat in the lower order. His time at professional level has only just begun, but there’s so much to like if what we’ve seen so far is anything to go by.
Mitch Owen (23) – Tasmania/New Town
A handy all-rounder who can do it all for Tasmania and the Hobart Hurricanes, it’s surprising to think that Owen is still only 23. With 38 games worth of domestic experience, the right-hander has made four fifties from 11 games batting in the middle to lower-order, with 14 red-ball wickets to date. An entertainer as well, the New Town product can bat at a good pace as well – as seen so far this Sheffield Shield season.
Lachie Shaw (21) – New South Wales/Northern District
The right-handed bat made his state debut for NSW only recently in both first-class and one-day cricket against South Australia, and looked promising in each hit out he had. Shaw played for Australia under 19s back in 2022, and the gun wicketkeeper is one to watch in the Blues’ ranks. The 21-year-old is extremely highly rated within NSW, and he’s been churning runs out for Northern Districts in the NSW Premier Cricket competition. So highly thought of, Shaw was picked just as a batter for his pair of state appearances, and it won’t be the last NSW fans get to see of him.
Harry Dixon (19) – Victoria/St Kilda
The only player yet to make his first-class debut on this list, Dixon has regularly been compared to recently retired great David Warner for his ability to pick up length lightning quick out of the hand. With a pull shot as good as any on this list and a plethora of time on his side, the Victorian rookie is one to keep an eye on in years to come. Dixon played a major role in Australia’s U19 team winning their most recent World Cup, hitting the third-most runs for the tournament with 309 runs at an average of 44.14.
And 11 more young guns to watch…: Ashley Chandrasinghe (22, VIC), Tom Straker (19, QLD), Lachie Hearne (23, QLD), Sam Fanning (24, WA), Hugh Weibgen (20, QLD), Callum Vidler (19, QLD), Teague Wyllie (20, WA), Nivethan Radhakrishnan (22, TAS), Mahli Beardman (19, WA), Blake Nikitaras (24, NSW), Oliver Peake (18, VIC)
