Which of our Australia U19s started playing cricket so he could get a lift from his mum instead of walk home from school?
All is revealed as we get to know our squad for the U19s World Cup in South Africa.
Brad Simpson:
The fast bowler from Sydney club Bankstown represented Australia U16s two years ago. Simpson's favourite cricketer is Mitchell Johnson and says the best game he ever attended was and ODI in 2011, when Shaun Tait, Brett Lee and Johnson were each bowling at 150km/h-plus.
Cooper Connolly:
The left-arm spinning all-rounder is the youngest member of the squad at 16. Connolly captained WA U17s at the national championships and was named player of the tournament. He says if he could invite five people to a dinner party, they'd be Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Marcus Harris, Josh Philippe and Virat Kohli.
Connor Sully:
Sully is a bowler who played for Australia at U16s level. His favourite quicks are Dale Steyn and Mitchell Johnson and he said he started playing cricket because, instead of walking, he could get a lift home from school when his mum came to pick him up.
Sam Fanning:
The New Zealand-born West Australian is a left-handed opening batsman. He scored a century in his first game for Australia U19s, in an ODI against Sri Lanka in Colombo last year. Fanning says his favourite cricketer is Brendon McCullum because of his aggressive batting and fearless captaincy.
Corey Kelly:
The bowling all-rounder from Adelaide played for Australia U19s against New Zealand in 2019. He is a Canberra Raiders and Adelaide Crows supporter, who most likens his style of play to James Faulkner "because we both bowl and try to hit sixes".
Jake Fraser-McGurk:
Fraser-McGurk plays for Victoria and BBL side Melbourne Renegades. He is a middle order all-rounder, who has represented Australia at U16s level and in indoor cricket. His most admired athlete from outside cricket is retired AFL star Luke Hodge, whom he admires for his leadership.
Lachlan Hearne:
The left-handed batter is one of the team's two Vice-Captains. He scored a century at the WACA in the national U19s championships and was named player of the tournament. Hearne has been told by some of his coaches he bats like Brian Lara. His favourite cricketer is Ricky Ponting.
Liam Marshall:
The fast bowler from Sydney stands nearly 200 centimetres tall. He has played for Australia U16s and four Youth ODIs for our U19s coming into the World Cup. His favourite non-cricketing athlete is Lionel Messi and he most likens his bowling style to Josh Hazlewood.
Liam Scott:
The all-rounder made his first-class debut for South Australia last November after coming through the Australian junior pathway system. He enjoys paddleboarding, tennis and golf, supports Chelsea and Sydney Roosters, and his favourite holiday destination is Mykonos.
Mackenzie Harvey:
The batting all-rounder is our Captain. He plays for Victoria and Melbourne Renegades and has previously represented Australia U16s and 19s. His favourite player is Mike Hussey and he had his first taste of the big time when he played Milo cricket in front of the old Bay 13 during a Boxing Day Test.
Oliver Davies:
Our co-Vice-Captain is a predominantly batting all-rounder who represents NSW and Sydney Thunder. Ollie hit a double century at an U19s national carnival and also six sixes in an over. His favourite player is Shaun Marsh, top non-cricket athlete is Kelly Slater and the bowler he'd most like to hit for six is Ravindra Jadeja.
Patrick Rowe:
The wicketkeeper-batsman scored an unbeaten century at the U19s national championships. He likens his style to Tim Paine's and his favourite cricketer is Adam Gilchrist. Rowe's mother represented Australia in cross-country skiing.
Tanveer Sangha:
The leg-spinner has represented Australia U16s and U19s and plays for Sydney Thunder. He enjoys basketball, Netflix and his five preferred dinner guests would be his mum, dad, sister, Virat Kohli and Rashid Khan.
Todd Murphy:
The right-arm off-spinner played for Australia U19s against New Zealand last year and likens his style of bowling to Nathan Lyon. He says his 'walk out' song would be Californication by Red Hot Chilli Peppers.
Matthew Willans:
The left-arm paceman first played for Australia U19s against Sri Lanka last year. His favourite cricketer is Mitchell Johnson but he bowls more like Josh Hazlewood. Willans' uncle, Ryan Constable, represented the Wallabies.
