Peake to captain Australia in Under-19 World Cup title defence
Oliver Peake, the left-hand batter, played a key innings in the 2024 final against India and has since represented Australia A
ESPNcricinfo staff
10-Dec-2025 • 7 hrs ago
Oliver Peake starred in the 2024 final when he was 17 • ICC/Getty Images
Victoria batter Oliver Peake will captain Australia Under-19s at next year's World Cup in Namibia and Zimbabwe as they look to defend their title.
Left-hand batter Peake was the youngest member of the side that defeated India in the 2024 final, where he made an unbeaten 46, and has already represented Australia A, and travelled with the Test squad to Sri Lanka earlier this year as a development player.
He made 92 against Sri Lanka A in Darwin in July and guided Victoria to victory in their first Sheffield Shield game of the season with a composed 70 not out against South Australia. He is also contracted to Melbourne Renegades for the BBL but the World Cup means he will miss the second half of the tournament.
Peake is the only player from the previous World Cup to be part of this edition.
The Australia squad includes three uncapped players: Naden Cooray, Nitesh Samuel and William Taylor, who are all from New South Wales. Samuel was Player of the Tournament at the recent U-19 National Championships where he was the leading run-scorer with 364 at 91.
The squad will be coached by Tim Nielsen, the former Australia head coach, with support from Luke Butterworth and Travis Dean.
"We're delighted to announce a strong and well-balanced squad for the ICC Under-19 World Cup," Nielsen said. "Our focus has been on selecting a group with complementary skill sets that provide the best chance of success in tournament.
"The players named have impressed with their performances during the U-19 series against India in September and at the recent National U-19 Championship in Perth.
"It's an exciting group, some have already experienced senior training environments, while others are progressing rapidly through our pathway. The World Cup is a fantastic opportunity for these young cricketers to showcase their talent and test themselves against the best in the world."
From Australia's 2024 U-19 World Cup squad, Sam Konstas has already played Test cricket while fast bowler Mahli Beardman has been part of ODI and T20I squads.
Australia's most recent one-day series saw them lose 3-0 to India in September. They have been grouped with Ireland, Japan and Sri Lanka for the first round of the World Cup.