From the Victorian country town of Castlemaine originally, Ben Oliver is a particularly promising young all-rounder. A tall, gangly cricketer who will likely add some more bulk to his frame over coming years, he is a lively right arm paceman and a handy right handed batsman particularly adept at hitting shots through the off side. Oliver was chosen to be a scholar at both the Victorian Institute of Sport and the Australian Cricket Academy (the latter in 1998), and has been a regular member of state and national underage sides over recent years. He has also already made rapid strides toward becoming a regular member of the state's senior one-day team, having produced a series of excellent performances on his way to winning the 'Best New Talent' award in the Mercantile Mutual Cup season of 2000-01. The unfortunate advent of osteitis pubis seriously derailed his preparations for the 2001-02 season but it won't be too long before he returns to add to an already glowing reputation. (John Polack, September 2001)

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