MELBOURNE, Australia // Cricket Australia will send 16 year old Jake Doran out to face England only days after the first Ashes Test for a tour match in the outback town of Alice Springs.
The inclusion of Doran, a left-arm batsman in Australia’s under-19 team, for the Chairman’s XI’s November 29-30 match at Traeger Park, comes despite criticism in the British press about the calibre of teams selected to face England in the tour matches to date.
Pressure from England forced the hosts to upgrade the team playing the ongoing four-day tour match in Sydney from a New South Wales Second XI to a Cricket Australia Invitational XI with players selected from other states.
The tour match in Hobart against Australia A last week was badly affected by rain, and England’s opening match in Australia was against a Western Australia Invitational XI in Perth, leaving the tourists seemingly under-prepared for a five-Test series.
England has won the last three Ashes series and is bidding to win the urn for a fourth straight series for the first time in more than a century.
The Ashes start with the first Test in Brisbane next Thursday, then England will travel to play the Chairman’s XI in the Northern Territory en route to Adelaide for the second Test, which starts December 5.
Doran, the younger brother of New South Wales state left-arm orthodox bowler Luke Doran, will turn 17 on December 2.
Greg Chappell, the former Test captain who is now Cricket Australia’s national talent manager, said the Chairman’s XI was an exciting squad in which every player except the younger Doran had represented their province at senior level.
He said Jake Doran was a key member of the Australian junior squad that will compete in the Under-19 Cricket World Cup in Dubai next year.
“England has been one of the most successful international teams in recent years and the Chairman’s XI team contains some of the most exciting young cricketers in the country,” Chappell said in a statement released Thursday. “Kane Richardson and Luke Robins are both products of the very successful youth development program in the Northern Territory, while Josh Lalor is one of two indigenous cricketers on state contract lists.”
Alister McDermott, the son of former Australian test paceman and current test bowling coach Craig McDermott, was also included in the 12-man squad that will be captained by Michael Beer.
“This will be a great leadership opportunity for Michael Beer, who made his test debut for Australia at the previous home Ashes series in 2011, and at age 29 still has a lot to offer,” Chappell said. “This is a great opportunity to bring elite cricket to Alice Springs. Traeger Park is a high-class venue at which we expect top-class cricket will become a regular visitor.”
Troy Cooley, an Australian who is England’s ex-fast bowling coach, will guide the Australian Chairman’s XI. Former England Test batsman Graeme Hick will be assistant coach.
Alice Springs has not hosted an international match in 13 years and is certainly off the beaten path for an Ashes series.
Cricket Australia Chairman’s XI: Michael Beer (captain), Steve Cazzulino, Jake Doran, Marcus Harris, Michael Hill, Alexander Keath, Josh Lalor, Alister McDermott, James Muirhead, Kane Richardson, Luke Robins, Ashton Turner.
