Melbourne, August 8 (H.S.): Former Australian head coach Tim Nielsen has been appointed as the new coach of the Australia Under-19 team. He will begin his new role with the upcoming home series against the India Under-19 team. This series is considered significant for preparations for the upcoming Under-19 World Cup.

Cricket Australia has announced a 15-member Australia Under-19 team for the series against India. The series will be held in Brisbane and Mackay in September, including three 50-over matches and two four-day youth Test matches.

The one-day matches will be played on September 21, 24, and 26 at the Ian Healy Oval in Brisbane, while the first youth Test will start on September 30 in Brisbane, and the second youth Test will take place from October 7 in Mackay.

Oliver Peake has not been included in the team as he will be touring India with the Australia A team during the same period. Peake scored a century in last year's youth Test in India and recently caught selectors' attention by scoring 92 runs for Australia A against Sri Lanka A. While he is still eligible for the Under-19 World Cup next year, his busy domestic season and a contract with the Melbourne Renegades in the BBL make his selection uncertain.

57-year-old Tim Nielsen was the coach of the Australian senior team from 2007 to 2011 and had previously served as an assistant coach to John Buchanan. He has also coached at Cricket Australia's Centre of Excellence. Recently, in 2024, he became the high-performance coach for the Pakistan Test team.

Nielsen has now returned to a development role with Cricket Australia, where he will take over this position following the resignation of Locklan Stevens.

Cricket Australia's Head of National Development, Sonya Thompson, said, We are excited to provide players with international cricket experience and challenge their skills through this multi-format tour. This series is a significant part of our preparations for the upcoming Under-19 World Cup.

She further added, Tim Nielsen's experience will greatly benefit our young team, and his leadership will guide our next generation of players.

Australia Under-19 squad: Simon Budge, Alex Turner, Steve Hogan, Will Malajczuk, Yash Deshmukh, Tom Hogan, Aryan Sharma, John James, Hayden Schiller, Charles Lachmund, Ben Gordon, Will Byrom, Kasey Barton, Alex Lee Young, Jayden Draper

Reserves: Zed Hollick, Tom Paddington, Julian Osborne

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar