Led by a maiden first class century by Angus Lovell, the Queensland Bulls have continued to build their depth and experience this week in the third round of the Sheffield Shield. SAMMAR SHAHEEN takes a look at the rise of Lovell, off the back of his ton against NSW in Sydney.
Lovell Leads Way For Bulls
Angus Lovell, a rising star in Queensland cricket, has been turning heads with his impressive performances at both club and state levels.
Born on the Isle of Wight, England, Lovell moved to New Zealand for a brief period where he began his junior’s cricketing journey.
Lovell then moved to the Sunshine Coast along with his family, where his early cricketing talent quickly became apparent.
He made his first-grade debut for the Sunshine Coast Scorchers at just 16 years and 35 days of age, becoming their youngest player to do so.
Lovell’s breakout moment came during the 2016-17 Under-17 National Championships, where he amassed a record 489 runs as skipper, breaking a Queensland record that had stood for 35 years. His stellar performance earned him the Player of the Tournament award, underlining his potential as a future star.
Lovell’s leadership qualities have also been evident, having captained Queensland's Under-17 and 19s to tournament finals, where his team-mates included the like of current Heat captain Nathan McSweeney and Australian white-ball International Xavier Bartlett.
Since then, Lovell has continued his upward trajectory. He has been a key player for the University of Queensland Cricket Club, consistently ranking among the top scorers in the KFC Queensland Premier Cricket competition.
In the 2023-24 season, Lovell amassed 803 runs (at 42.26) for University of QLD Cricket Club, making him the third-leading run-scorer in the competition. Beyond his domestic success, Lovell has also gained international experience playing County Cricket in England.
His performances playing for Surrey 2nd XI in England, caught plenty of eyeballs, with notable scores of (84) coming in at number 8 against Surrey 2nd XI, and an unbeaten (141*) against Middlesex, in June 2022.
Lovell earned his First-Class debut call for Bulls against Tasmania on February 3 at the Gabba in the Sheffield Shield after an impressive run of performances for the Second XI and the 25-year-old has not looked back.
The right hander’s bat has been spilling runs in ongoing Sheffield Shield, as he scored a hard fought 146* against NSW bowling-line featuring Test pacer Josh Hazelwood.
A solid 310-run partnership with Ben McDrmott helped Bulls post a sizable 5-406. Although the rain-affected game could not produce a result, Lovell was awarded the POTM courtesy of his 146* and 3-13.
Starting as a promising junior talent from the Sunny Coast, to making his way into the Queensland Bulls line and competiing wiith the best cricketers in Australia, Queensland fans should anticipate the big right-hander to continue making headlines in the years to come.