Beardman, Wasley earn selection for U19s World Cup

Cricket Australia (CA) has today named the 15-player Australian squad for the ICC Men’s Under 19 World Cup in South Africa, with two Western Australians selected for higher honours.

State contracted rookie quick Mahli Beardman and Rockingham Mandurah's Corey Wasley were both included in the squad, after both impressed during the recent Cricket Australia U19 National Male Championships.

Beardman stood out for WA throughout his five matches, as he tallied nine wickets at an average of 17. He finished as WA's equal leading wicket-taker for the tournament, alongside Melville's Declan Power.

Selection continues a remarkable rise for the young tearaway, who joined WA on a rookie deal ahead of the 2023-24 domestic season.

The whippy right-armer was impressive on Marsh One-Day Cup debut against New South Wales last Saturday, taking the wicket of NSW captain Moises Henriques and impressing with his raw pace.

He made his Toyota Second XI debut versus South Australia last month and has starred for Melville’s WA Premier Cricket First Grade side.

Meanwhile, Wasley continues to make a name for himself, after another outstanding Championships with the bat.

The attacking left-hander blasted 256 runs at 42.67 in six innings, including a stunning century (164 off 116 balls) against Tasmania.

That innings included 11 fours and 12 sixes and guided his team to a thumping victory.

Wasley's knock comes as no surprise, with the 18-year-old well known for his big hitting and powerful stroke play.

He has become a regular for WA in Toyota Second XI cricket this summer, including smashing 206 off 218 balls against South Australia, a knock highlighted by 11 sixes.

Both Beardman and Wasley have represented Australia at underage level previously, with the pair chosen to play against England in a multi-format series earlier this year.

Australia’s squad will be coached by Anthony Clark, who has also led the Under 19 squad on recent tours of England and Sri Lanka.

January's World Cup will be held in South Africa after the ICC Board confirmed Sri Lanka would be replaced as hosts last month.

The upcoming World Cup is the 15th edition of the Under 19 men's event and will have a revised tournament format, which includes a new Super Six stage after the Group stage to determine the semi-finalists.

Australia will face Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Namibia in the group stage with the ICC set to announce updated fixture dates and times in the coming days.

Images of the National Championships can be found here.

Australia Under 19 World Cup Squad

Lachlan Aitken (QLD - Gold Coast District Cricket Club)

Charlie Anderson (NSW - Northern District Cricket Club)

Harkirat Bajwa (VIC - Melbourne Cricket Club)

Mahli Beardman (WA - Melville Cricket Club)

Tom Campbell (QLD - Western Suburbs District Cricket Club)

Harry Dixon (VIC - St Kilda Cricket Club)

Ryan Hicks (NSW - Mosman Cricket Club)

Sam Konstas (NSW - Sutherland Cricket Club)

Rafael MacMillan (NSW - St George District Cricket Club)

Aidan O’Connor (TAS - Greater Northern Raiders)

Harjas Singh (NSW - Western Suburbs Cricket Club)

Tom Straker (NSW - Sutherland District Cricket Club)

Callum Vidler (QLD - Valley District Cricket Club)

Corey Wasley (WA - Rockingham-Mandurah Cricket Club)

Hugh Weibgen (QLD - Valley District Cricket Club)

Sonya Thompson, Cricket Australia’s Head of National Development, said:

“It’s been exciting to see the amount of talent on display at this year’s Under 19 Male National Championships. We’ve seen some fantastic individual performances and I’d like to congratulate NSW Metro on their win.

“The upcoming Under 19 World Cup provides players with an excellent development opportunity, and we look forward to watching this squad perform on the world stage.

“The National Youth Selection Panel worked closely with State Talent Managers to select the World Cup Squad. Consideration is given to performances across a variety of competitions. Many of those in the World Cup squad also had development opportunities during tours to Sri Lanka and England this year.

“Inevitably, there were difficult selection decisions, but we will continue to support and monitor the development of all players in our pathway systems.”

2023 Under 19 Male National Championships Award Winners

Champions: NSW Metro

Player of the Final: Sam Konstas (NSW Metro)

Player of the Tournament: Aidan O’Connor (Tasmania)

Highest Run Scorer: Tom Campbell (Queensland), 290 runs at 58.00

Leading Wicket Taker: James Scott (Tasmania) 17 wickets at 14.27

Spirit of Cricket: ACT