Queensland Bulls rookie allrounder Hugh Weibgen will become the fourth Queenslander to captain the Australian Under-19 team following the announcement of the squad today squad for the multi-format Under-19 series in England next month.
Maroons Named For UK Tour
The Valley product is one of four Queenslanders named in the squad alongside his Premier Club teammate Callum Vidler and Gold Coast duo Lachy Aitken and Cody Reynolds.
The Youth Selection Panel chose the 16-player touring squad following training camps in Brisbane and Sri Lanka, where they will return for the 2024 ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup.
Pace bowler Reynolds is the grandson of Ray Reynolds, who played 54 Sheffield Shield matches for Queensland and was a State selector and successful coach, while his father Dean, who also played for the Australian Under-19 team, was a State squad member.
Weibgen, 18, will join Dean Reynolds (1985-86), Stuart Law (1988) and Nathan Hauritz (2001) as maroons who have been selected to lead their country at national youth level.
The youngest Valley player to score a Men's First Grade century at 17 years and 80 days old, he the captained Queensland Under-19 last year as well Brisbane Grammar School to the GPS First XI Premiership last year.
Vidler, Aitken and Weibgen all played in the Youth series against England Under-19 in Brisbane earlier this year where each produced some strong all-round performances.
Pace bowler Vidler and wicket-keeper Aitken both played for the Queensland Under-19 squad last season.
Next month’s tour comes after Australia hosted England in January and February this year. The two-match four-day series was drawn 1-1 before Australia claimed the ODI series 2-1 and won the sole T20I.
The touring party contains eight players who took on England in the Brisbane series earlier this year, including Victoria's Harry Dixon, who led the scoring in the previous series with 300 runs at an average of 60.
The Australian team will be coached by New South Wales development coach Anthony Clark, who also led the squad at the 2022 ICC Under-19 Men’s Cricket World Cup.
The tour of England will consist of five ODIs, with the first one on on August 26, before two four-day matches in September.
Sonya Thompson, Cricket Australia Head of National Development, said:
“Touring England is a special experience for any cricketer and this tour presents a significant opportunity for our Under 19 squad to play in different conditions against a high-quality opponent.
“The multi-format series will provide a platform for our best young players to gain valuable international experience in both red and white ball cricket.
“Planning is in full swing for next year’s World Cup and this series, as well as the recently completed training camps at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane and tour of Sri Lanka will play a key part in that preparation.”
Anthony Clark, Australian Men's Under 19 head coach, said:
“We've seen some fantastic performances from our players across a variety of competitions and tours recently, which made it a challenging selection process.
“Both the Sri Lankan tour and this upcoming English series provide our players with exceptional development opportunities ahead of the 2024 Under-19 World Cup, but we're also equally excited for the upcoming four-day matches after a closely fought series earlier this year.”
Squad:
Hugh Weibgen (c) (QLD - Valley District Cricket Club)
Lachlan Aitken (QLD - Gold Coast District Cricket Club)
Harkirat Bajwa (VIC - Melbourne Cricket Club)
Mahli Beardman (WA - Melville Cricket Club)
Harry Dixon (VIC - St Kilda Cricket Club)
Cameron Frendo (NSW - Fairfield Liverpool Cricket Club)
Ryan Hicks (NSW - Mosman Cricket Club)
Sam Konstas (NSW - Sutherland Cricket Club)
Rafael MacMillan (NSW - St George District Cricket Club)
Tom Menzies (NT - Darwin Cricket Club)
Cody Reynolds (QLD - Gold Coast District Cricket Club)
Harjas Singh (NSW - Western Suburbs Cricket Club)
Tom Straker (NSW - Sutherland District Cricket Club)
Josh Vernon (WA - Midland Guildford Cricket Club)
Callum Vidler (QLD - Valley District Cricket Club)
Corey Wasley (WA - Rockingham-Mandurah Cricket Club)
2023 Australia Male Under 19 Tour of England:
Aug 26: First ODI | The County Ground, Beckenham
Aug 28: Second ODI | The County Ground, Beckenham
Aug 31: Third ODI | The County Ground, Beckenham
Sep 2: Fourth ODI | The First Central County Ground, Hove
Sep 4: Fifth ODI | The First Central County Ground, Hove
Sep 8-11: First four-day game | New Road, Worcester
Sep 16-19: Second four-day game | The County Ground, Northampton