The next generation: who could star in Australia's future?

The fast bowler has already made an impression at state and Australia A level with two five-wicket hauls including 7 for 71 against Tasmania. Tall and able to extract good bounce, Buckingham is in the mould of Josh Hazlewood, if not quite with the same speed, and could come into the mix as the change of the guard takes place in the pace attack.

Was one of the heroes of Perth Scorchers BBL title last season when he showed nerves of steel to guide the chase home at Optus Stadium. The overall numbers remain thin for Connolly, and he is having a lean campaign this season while being moved around the order, but there is plenty to work with. Would have made his Sheffield Shield debut before Christmas if not for a boating accident that left him needing surgery on his toe.

The younger brother of Ollie Davies (below), in some quarters Joel is considered an even more exciting prospect. He is a left-arm spin-bowling allrounder who this year has broken into the BBL, firstly with Sydney Thunder then with Sydney Sixers after a crosstown switch. Trained with the Australia T20I squad in India late last year.

He has been talked of as a future star since launching his BBL career with 84 off 45 balls across his first two innings. Ollie put together a strong run in last season's tournament with scores of 65, 58, 42 and 45 in the space of five knocks. An exciting development this summer has been his red-ball success where he is averaging 85.75 which included a brilliant maiden hundred against Western Australia on a tricky pitch, then 81 not out on an even tougher surface against Tasmania.

Has yet to make his professional debut for Victoria, but has caught the eye at the level below. Had an impressive Under-19 tour of England last year and signed a BBL deal with Melbourne Renegades. Will be part of this month's U-19 World Cup in South Africa. His hero is David Warner. "Seeing him grow up as a T20 player and then be able to play all three formats as well as he has done is hopefully something I want to do in the future," Dixon told ESPNcricinfo last year. "He has been incredible and done a lot for the country, hopefully, I can be pretty similar and get into the Aussie team and play all three formats."

The allrounder is another who has shown encouraging development this season which included a haul of 6 for 36 against Queensland alongside 87. Showed his one-day power with 92 off 63 balls against Tasmania in the Marsh Cup and having not bowled in the BBL before this season has bagged eight wickets for Sydney Sixers.

One of the most exciting stories of this season. After a switch from Victoria, he is having a breakout time across all formats, including the record-breaking 29-ball one-day hundred, and despite the attraction of T20 cricket has made it clear Tests are his ambition. Needs to string a longer run of consistency together against the red-ball to be a serious contender, but it does feel as though he is on the cusp.

It almost feels odd to include Green here, given he has already made 55 appearances for Australia, but the fact he is not yet 25 is a reminder of how much he has already achieved. Will be one of the leading lights in the next era of the national teams across formats. Shapes as a potential opening replacement for Warner in Tests, but his longer-term future would appear to be No. 4 where he averages 64.22 in first-class cricket. A similar role beckons in ODIs for the 2027 World Cup.

Already an established figure in Australian cricket and has made his ODI and T20I debuts. Squeezes into this list as his birthday was January 7. There is no shortage of allrounders at the moment but Hardie is already pressing his case for further higher honours. He sees himself as a true allrounder, and his batting can certainly slot into the top order. Expect him to be a central figure at some point in the next few years.

The left-hander caught the attention when he made 81 in his second Sheffield Shield match to help set-up victory over New South Wales and an important fifty at the WACA. Between those matches he also scored a century against South Africa for a CA XI in a game that wasn't first-class. Had a leaner time for Australia A against New Zealand A as he worked through some technical challenges, but finished the pre-Christmas Shield block with a consistent run.

He's very early in his professional career, but there is significant excitement around Konstas who has been compared to Michael Clarke having made over 1000 runs in all formats in his first season of grade cricket. He made his Sheffield Shield debut against Tasmania late last year and this month will be part of the Under-19 World Cup in South Africa. Earlier this season he was picked out by Kerry O'Keeffe as a star of the future. "The best young opening bat I've seen in the last couple of years is Sam Konstas…this is a guy who appears destined, but he's only 18 years of age."

The top-order batter is already highly regarded around the Australia pathway system and has been given significant captaincy experience in the last nine months by leading Australia A and the Prime Minister's XI. A first-class average of 34.08 does not leap off the page, but this season that is up to 45 including two centuries and he showed his versatility with 73 off 52 balls for Brisbane Heat.

The offspinner is perhaps overqualified for this list given he played six Tests last year but he is shaping up to play a huge part in Australia's future, especially the Test side. It may, however, still be some time until he has the chance to establish himself as the No. 1 spinner given Nathan Lyon's desire to reach 2027. He acquitted himself superbly in India, and though the size of the task of replacing Lyon was made clear in the 2023 Ashes, he should have a long career ahead of him.

Like his state team-mate Konstas, bowling allrounder Salzmann is a long way back in the queue but is highly regarded around the New South Wales set-up. Has only played three one-day games so far but has eight wickets, and showed his composure with the bat against Western Australia. Was a consistent wicket-taker at the Under-19 level and was in the recent IPL auction although did not get picked up.

The legspinner has already had a taste of international cricket and impressed by taking 4 for 31 on debut against South Africa. Appears the natural successor to Adam Zampa in the white-ball set-up and should push as a Test contender, although would benefit from being able to get some consistent Sheffield Shield cricket for New South Wales.

Another one to put into the allrounder mix. His game has developed significantly in the last couple of years and he has also moved into captaincy. A splice-jarring pace bowler and batter with immense power, he could well come into Australia's white-ball plans for the next four-year one-day cycle. Still some growth to come with the bat, but a season in county cricket with Somerset should benefit him after last year's deal with Essex was aborted due to a stress fracture of his back.

Wyllie got people talking last season when he crafted a superb century in his second Sheffield Shield match. It became somewhat tougher for him after that but he has again shown glimpses of his red-ball game, including 94 off 251 balls against Victoria earlier this season. "I idolised Rahul Dravid growing up," Wyllie said last year. "He values his wicket more than anyone. Growing up I modelled my game on him a bit when it comes to valuing his wicket and batting for long periods. Kane Williamson is another who I try to learn a lot from."