Indian-origin cricketer Neel Patel from New South Wales (NSW) has been named in Australia’s Under-19 squad for next month’s multi-format tour of India, with Cricket Australia announcing a 16-member squad for the four-week assignment.
The squad, selected by Cricket Australia’s Youth National Selection Panel, will play three one-day matches and two four-day games against the India U19 team between September 13 and October 9. The fixtures will be held in Rajkot and Ahmedabad, offering Australia’s emerging players valuable exposure to subcontinental conditions.
The touring side will be coached by Tim Nielsen, who is currently overseeing the Cricket Australia XI programme against Bangladesh in Darwin.
Cricket Australia Head of National Development Sonya Thompson said the tour would play a key role in the development of the country’s young talent.
“We are really pleased to provide the opportunity to some of Australia’s best young players to continue their development as part of our pathways program. Touring India and playing against high-quality opposition in challenging conditions will be a valuable experience and test the players technically and mentally across formats.”
“We are also delighted to have Tim Nielsen leading the program. He brings a wealth of coaching experience and has a deep understanding of player development,” Thompson added.
Neel Patel, who represents the University of NSW Cricket Club, is among the 16 players selected for the tour.
Australia U19 squad: Kasey Barton, Hayden Barbulovic, Eli Brain, Will Byrom, Blake Cattle, Jack Czosnek, Spencer Green, Connor Gregory, Charlie Henderson, Zed Hollick, Matthew Lough, Neel Patel, Jacob Pietz, Patrick Sullivan, Theo Tsingos and Thomas Vaseo.
