Australian teenager Ollie Peake will make his international debut this weekend, selected for Saturday’s series opener against Pakistan in Rawalpindi, captain Josh Inglis has confirmed.
Inglis revealed the tourists needed another look at the wicket before settling on a final starting XI, but the wicketkeeper could confirm that Peake and fast bowler Billy Stanlake would play the first ODI.
Peake, 19, becomes Australia’s fourth-youngest cricketer in men’s ODIs, taking cap No. 252, while Stanlake makes his first international appearance since 2019.
Watch Pakistan vs Australia ODI series LIVE & EXCLUSIVE on Fox Cricket, available on Kayo | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1 >“It’s incredibly exciting for Peakey, he’s been great value around the group so far,” Inglis said.
“We’ve seen what’s done over the last couple of years, and he really deserves to be here.”
He added: “It’s a great story with Bill. He’s not been around the group since 2019, so the resilience he’s shown to get back on the park and put in some good performances last year, he really deserves to be here.”
Australia will be without multiple first-choice players for the three-match ODI series against Pakistan, with Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh missing the tour due to IPL commitments and injury.
Marsh was ruled out of the series earlier this week due to an ankle injury he sustained in India.
“It’s obviously disappointing to lose our skipper,” Inglis said.
“He’s a big part of the group, and he’s obviously a fantastic player as well.
“It’s unfortunate for Mitch to miss out on this tour.”
Inglis also brushed aside concerns about Australia’s inexperienced pace attack – Nathan Ellis, Riley Meredith and Stanlake collectively have 25 ODI wickets under their belt, with the likes of Ben Dwarshuis, Xavier Bartlett and Lance Morris unavailable for selection.
“We’ve got a lot of talent in our group,” Inglis said.
“Stanlake’s come back into the squad after a long tine, and he bowls at a seriously high pace, Riley Meredith as well, to guys there that are really exciting.
“Nathan Ellis is very experienced in the white-ball format now.”
The first ODI between Pakistan and Australia commences at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Saturday at 9pm AEST.