Weatherald, Peake, Jackson among Australia A newbies

Test experienced Nathan McSweeney and Matthew Renshaw also feature in a 16-player squad to face Sri Lanka in Darwin

Jake Weatherald has been rewarded for his mountain of Sheffield Shield runs with a maiden Australia A call-up, while teenage batting star Ollie Peake will also get his first taste of senior international cricket in the Northern Territory next month.

Test-capped players Nathan McSweeney, Matthew Renshaw and Kurtis Patterson are the biggest names in a 16-player 'A' squad picked to face Sri Lanka A in three one-dayers and a pair of first-class matches in July.

Australia A squad for Sri Lanka A series Sam Elliott, Matt Gilkes, Bryce Jackson, Campbell Kellaway, Nathan McSweeney, Jack Nisbet, Mitch Perry, Kurtis Patterson, Oliver Peake, Josh Philippe, Matt Renshaw, Jason Sangha, Liam Scott, Billy Stanlake, Henry Thornton, Jake Weatherald

Born-and-bred Darwinite Weatherald, last summer's leading Sheffield Shield run scorer, will make his Australia A debut in his hometown.

The remote NT capital has positioned itself as an ideal off-season tropical training and playing base due to its dry season that runs through the southern states' winters.

"We've been starved of a lot of cricket up here, but the facilities are amazing," Weatherald said last month. "I'd love to see more Australian games played up here. So if I do get the opportunity to play the Australia A stuff, that'd be amazing for me, especially playing in my hometown."

Australia A v Sri Lanka A, 2025 July 4: First 50-over match | Marrara Cricket Ground (day-night) July 6: Second 50-over match | Marrara Cricket Ground (day) July 9: Third 50-over match | Marrara Cricket Ground (day) July 13 – 16: First four-day match | Marrara Stadium (day) July 20 – 23: Second four-day match | Marrara Cricket Ground (day) All matches streamed live on cricket.com.au and Kayo Sports

The first of the four-day games will be played on the drop-in pitch on Marrara's main stadium, a month before Australia's men's team faces South Africa in back-to-back T20Is there in August, while the other matches will be played on the neighbouring out-ground.

The first-class games could be a precursor to Test cricket returning to the Top End next year with Darwin among the venues expected to be considered for a winter series against Bangladesh along with North Queensland cities Mackay and Cairns.

Australia A have not picked a captain for the series against Sri Lanka, but McSweeney will be a likely candidate given he took the reins in two 'A' games against India at the beginning of last summer.

Billy Stanlake, five-and-a-half years since he last played international cricket, has shown he is back in Australia's plans with his call-up. The injury-plagued speedster bowled to Australia's Test squad in Brisbane before they flew out for the World Test Championship final.

It is an otherwise inexperienced pace group with Bryce Jackson, the 25-year-old Western Australian fast bowler, arguably the biggest surprise among the inclusions.

The right-armer has burst onto the domestic 50-over scene with 15 wickets in five matches, but that remains the extent of his senior experience. Having also faced injury troubles, he is yet to debut in first-class or T20 cricket.

Peake is equally green, having played just one Shield and one Big Bash game, but the 18-year-old is highly rated around the country. He struck a measured half-century against WA in his Victorian debut in March after shadowing the Test team on their tour of Sri Lanka, and was a star in Australia's 2024 U19 World Cup win.

Josh Philippe is the only other Australia-capped player in the group and will be joined by NSW teammates Matt Gilkes and Jack Nisbet.

Sheffield Shield champions Jason Sangha, Liam Scott and Henry Thornton have all been included, as have Victorians Campbell Kellaway, Mitch Perry and Sam Elliott.

"Jake Weatherald, Jason Sangha and Kurtis Patterson have all had dominant Sheffield Shield seasons and earned the opportunity to test themselves against international opposition," said selection chief George Bailey.

"Additionally, there is a strong presence of emerging talent in the squad who will benefit from playing alongside senior players including Nathan and Matthew Renshaw who bring substantial experience at ‘A’ level."

Nathan McAndrew, Peter Handscomb and Marcus Harris might otherwise have been considered if they were not in the midst of county seasons in the United Kingdom, while Todd Murphy is another likely contender who is understood to be taking up a county deal.

The BCCI last week confirmed the September-October dates for Australia A's other 2025 men's series, which also consists of two first-class games and three one-dayers.

Bailey suggested those more senior heads will be in the mix to play in those games in Lucknow and Kanpur against India A.

"Given the timing of this series, the NSP (National Selection Panel) has worked closely with State and Territory associations to determine availability and identify players who would benefit from the opportunity," he said.

"There are several players with existing opportunities overseas or tailored off-season programs who weren’t considered for selection. We anticipate those players will be available for Australia A’s tour of India in September as we look ahead to the 2027 Border-Gavaskar Series."

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