Double Davies: Joel charts familiar path

Ollie Davies has played alongside Steve Smith and Sean Abbott, and against the renowned Jordan Silk, but he doesn’t rate any of those three above younger brother Joel in the field.

"Apart from being the best fielder I’ve ever seen, he can bat and bowl,” Ollie said, glowingly, of his younger sibling after he was signed by Sydney Thunder on Boxing Day.

“He brings everything to the table.”

While you could be excused for thinking there was just a hint of bias in Ollie's comment, which he himself admits, the early signs of his younger brother's KFC BBL career might just be proving him right.

Joel, flown into the squad as a sub-fielder for the Thunder's emphatic win in Albury on New Year’s Eve against the Hurricanes – where Ollie's rapid 65 helped them post a club-record total of 6-228 – announced himself before he had even earnt his first Big Bash start with his rocket arm finding global star Tim David short of his ground.

"I was actually at home the day before Albury and then got flown down and wasn't even expecting to get on the field – I was second replacement fielder," Joel tells cricket.com.au.

"We ended up having two little niggles and someone had to go to the toilet so luckily I got on and within two overs I got a run out which is pretty cool.

"When I got that opportunity, I was pretty chuffed just to just get on the field. Especially when I'm not playing and can only get on for maybe a couple overs, I want to make that impact."

Image Id: 39B266E9259F4683956257AD881CD29E Image Caption: Ollie hands Joel his Thunder cap // Getty

An injury to Daniel Sams opened the door for Davies to make his BBL debut four days later when the Thunder took down reigning champions the Scorchers at Perth Stadium, with his fielding exploits coming to the fore again. 

Adam Lyth became the second victim of Joel's lethal left-arm early in the contest, while the allrounder had himself a treble of run outs barely 20 overs into his career when his pinpoint throw landed in the waiting gloves of Matthew Gilkes to dismiss Matthew Kelly.

Speaking post-match after his game-winning 58, Ollie doubled down on his comments – this time with a little more validity.

"He’s one of the best fielders going around right now in Australia," Ollie told reporters after receiving his player of the match award.

It should come as no surprise, then, that it is his fielding which Joel practices more than any other element of his game.

Indeed, he says it's the most enjoyable aspect of his cricket – a refreshing revelation from a batter who only lasted month smashed three fifties and two centuries in a player of the tournament performance at the U19 National Championships.

Image Id: 99830FF9763C4BFBB8839A58955F362D Image Caption: Joel Davies with the U19 National Championships shield // Cricket Australia

"I'd say at grade training, that's (fielding) what I do majority of just because the nets get pretty crowded for batting and bowling and you only get maybe 10 minutes of batting," he says.

"So I spend a lot of my time fielding which I find the most enjoyable part of cricket, just because I'm out there with 10 other mates as opposed to one other batting or when I'm bowling I feel like I'm always by myself."

"Even just at the beach, chucking the ball around, catching them in the water, little things like that always help with coordination."

Joel's proficiency in the field was first discovered by cricket.com.au when he caught a Sean Abbott six on the North Sydney Oval hill during a Marsh Cup fixture in 2021, so perhaps we should've seen this coming.

That was while he was watching Ollie's debut in the 50-over format for NSW.

Unsurprisingly, the parallels of Australia's newest star brothers don't stop there. 

***

If you feel like you've heard this story before, it's because you have.

Well, almost.

A now 22-year-old Ollie first burst on the scene in 2018 when he blasted an absurd 17 sixes on his way to 207 from just 115 balls against Northern Territory in the U19 National Championships.

He was captain of that NSW Metro side and announced himself as one of the most exciting prospects in the country, but little did he know his little brother would very nearly outdo him four years later.

Joel had little reason to be nervous as he led his own NSW Metro side against Northern Territory in Adelaide a few weeks ago, having already registered scores of 50, 68 and 55* for the week.

But as he was reminded in the lead up to the game, the Davies have a strong history against the Territory side in underage championships.

"Somebody mentioned to me before the game 'You've got a lot to make up for here' or something along those lines, and I just laughed a little bit thinking I would never do that," he says.

What followed was scarcely believable, with Joel making an unbeaten 185 that included a remarkable 11 sixes.

It was déjà vu for the NT side, and Joel too, who could hardly believe himself what had occurred. 

"That was just ridiculous by Ollie and to get that close was unbelievable," he says. 

"I hadn’t scored 100 since I think it was the U15 nationals, and when I got close I was starting to get pretty nervous and said, 'I don't care how long this takes me, I'm getting it'.

"After that we just thought we'd just have a bit of fun and luckily a few came out of the middle and I got another 80 odd which is pretty cool."

While the pair have an obvious appreciation for each other and the fact they are now playing in the same side, a sibling rivalry still exists.

"The one where he's got one up on me is he made the Aussie (Under) 19s a year younger, but then I got one back on him in playing for the Thunder before he did age wise, so I got that back on him," he says in a flash.

"It's pretty funny, almost everything is exactly the same – we were both in the 15s New South Wales (side) and then the 16s Aussies.

"He obviously had the 17s in New South Wales which I missed out on because of COVID, but then both captaining underage 19s in New South Wales, it's pretty ridiculous how similar our paths have been."

They're now both members of a Sydney Thunder squad in KFC BBL|12 that have bounced back strongly from their infamous capitulation for just 15 against the Strikers earlier this season.

Image Id: 15BDC4BF36B240D2A3667E0BFC504A09 Image Caption: Joel sends down a delivery on his BBL debut // Getty

Joel wasn’t in the squad on that day – he was busy dominating the ACT U19 side for a 31-ball 68 in Adelaide – and if not for Ollie, he may have joined his cross-town rivals for the remainder of the Big Bash season.

“Initially I thought he might’ve been tempted to join the Sixers, but I got into his ear about playing for Sydney Thunder," Ollie said upon Joel signing with the Thunder.

“I simply said to him ‘I want you to be with me; you could go to the Sixers, you could go to Thunder but I’m involved in Thunder, and I want you to travel with me and work with me’."

It seemed inevitable that the tightknit brothers would end up on the same side, and Joel's eye-catching tournament the week before – plus the Thunder's capacity for an extra replacement player – sealed the deal for the 19-year-old.

"Obviously I wanted to be with my brother, that was always a bonus. Staying in the hotels we roomed together and as much he's a pest, he's still alright," Joel says with a laugh. 

"The Thunder had an extra replacement player to offer whereas the Sixers didn't, that sort of meant I was going to have an opportunity to potentially play, or (was) more likely to play.

"The 19s tournament would have helped progress me potentially playing a few games, just knowing that I can score those sort of runs and having form coming into the Big Bash was also another bonus."

Given their junior career paths are virtually the same and they both like to hit big sixes, one might assume the Davies brothers are similar players.

But not entirely, according to a man who knows Joel better than most.

Australia U19 coach Anthony Clark – who also mentored him at the championships for the NSW Metro team – says there's some clear differences that separate the brothers.

"I think they're very different players to be honest. One – Ollie's right-handed and Joel's left-handed," he says.

"Ollie has probably got a little bit more of a power game. They manipulate the ball differently and I think Joel's electric between the wickets, his running is fantastic.

"So they're very different players, but at the same time both pretty dynamic."

While it's pretty common for emerging sports stars to want to forge their own path when a family member has come before them, Joel is taking a different view.

With famous brothers like Steve and Mark Waugh, Shane and Brett Lee, and (Ollie and Joel's personal favourites) Shaun and Mitch Marsh there to base their journey off, the younger of the two says they are happy to be known as a package deal.

"It would be a pretty cool thing (to be known as the Davies brothers), we're already starting by playing Big Bash together, but we want to make it further," he says.

"Our biggest comparison is the Marsh brothers because we grew up watching them, and Ollie's favourite player is Shaun Marsh (so) that's sort of what we're dreaming to do.

"I remember that Sydney Test once when Mitch Marsh got one of his first hundreds and Shaun was out there batting with him celebrating and we were just imagining that was us – it'd be a pretty cool experience."

***

It's a jam-packed couple of months for Joel, with the left-hander set to captain Australia's U19 side in a multi-format series against England starting in late January.

While was only while scrolling through social media that he learnt he would be tossing the coin, the experience he has for someone of his age in leading teams will buoy him with confidence throughout the Ashes battle.

"I only found out actually through a post on Instagram with a little 'c' next to my name," he says.

"I'm pretty happy to be leading that group as well. I did the U16 Aussies and shared that with Liam Blackford … so I'll be looking at him and then other people from the group like Will Salzman. 

"I've been around those boys for quite a while and I feel like they respected me as the captain which helps and everyone knows what their role is in the team."

It is the two four-day matches that has Davies most eager to represent his country, with only he and Blackford – a standout wicketkeeper-batter from country Victoria – having any experience with the red ball over four consecutive days, having played a handful of Second XI games each.

Davies isn’t sure whether he'll be there for the first match at Allan Border Field though which starts on January 29, with the teenager hoping he'll be wearing the lime green again in a maiden Big Bash finals campaign.

"It just depends with the Thunder if they see me as potentially playing, whether they want me to hang around the group, which obviously I'd love to be around that group if I am going to be playing, and even if I'm not it's still a great group to be around," he says.

"I could miss one of the four-day games which would be a little bit annoying because I don't get to play a whole lot of longer-form cricket, but if it's to miss that for finals cricket then I'm taking finals cricket any day of the week. 

"I'm very, very excited. I think pretty much everyone in the side wouldn't have played a four-day game apart from maybe a couple of us who have played a Second XI game.

"It will be interesting to see how everyone goes about batting and bowling coming out of an U19 tournament which was just all 50-over cricket and then shifting that to red ball cricket, trying to bat slightly more patiently and even bowlers going from short spells to maybe a few longer spells."

The goal of earning his chance in Aussie colours was admittedly at the forefront of Davies' mind going into December's national championships.

With hopes of receiving his own Baggy Green one day, the junior Aussie skipper said the honour was not lost on him as he reflected on what has been a whirlwind few weeks.

"No one really says it, but obviously the main goal is to get to that side. But we spoke about how everyone's best chance of making that side is playing good cricket and winning games, then those sorts of those things will come after," he says.

"As soon as I got named in the side, it's just been running through my mind and it's pretty amazing to be able to play another international side.

"Getting in the whites, I assume we'll be getting a baggy too, so putting that on and running around with people my age representing Australia will be a pretty sick experience."

***

Sydney's northern beaches always have and always will be home for Davies, but there's another Test-playing nation that have the potential to secure his services.

Davies' mother was born in Trinidad, meaning he and Ollie are both eligible for a passport in the southernmost island of the West Indies.

Ollie briefly looked into pursuing one following his breakout season in BBL|10 to allow him to play in the Caribbean Premier League as a local player, but Joel says the family never got around to it.

"We were both going to do it at the same time in case I did get to that sort of level and want to do it with him, so definitely looking into it, but not too sure how to go about it."

The West Indies were followed just as closely as the Aussies in the Davies' younger years, so the potential to play for them mightn’t be as leftfield as it sounds.

But Joel says the lure of the green and gold far is too strong to shake as he takes strides in a professional career still very much in its infancy.

"Growing up we were pretty 50-50 with Aussies and West Indies because mum supported them, which sort of meant we always had to and then Dad supported the Aussies," he says.

"So it was a tough one, but I think Ollie was a bit more West Indies than me and I sort of floated around depending on which players I liked.

"We definitely grew up loving watching the West Indies play. It was pretty cool being able to go for two teams with the family on both sides.

"We definitely want to play for Australia though. I guess if that didn't work out, then maybe closer to 30 or something like that, you never know, but the plan is trying to make it for Australia."

And with the trajectory his burgeoning career is heading in at the moment, it might happen sooner than you think.

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