Vics skipper to lead Cricket Australia side against South Africans in Brisbane next week, with exciting batters Wyllie and Kellaway also selected
Handscomb, young guns headline CA XI
Test hopeful Peter Handscomb will get another chance to prove his credentials when he leads a Cricket Australia XI squad with three nationally-capped players and a host of promising youngsters against the touring South Africans at Allan Border Field in Brisbane next week.
With a pair of notable half-centuries in Asia in 2017, Handscomb has been mooted as a possible tourist for Australia's Test series in India next series, while the 31-year-old is also this summer's (and last season's) leading Marsh Sheffield Shield run-scorer after plundering a career-best 281no for Victoria in October.
CA XI squad: Peter Handscomb (c, Vic), Sam Whiteman (WA), Henry Hunt (SA), Tim Ward (Tas), Teague Wyllie (WA), Campbell Kellaway (Vic), Matthew Kuhnemann (Qld), Jake Doran (Tas), Jack Clayton (Qld), Lawrence Neil-Smith (Tas), Chris Tremain (NSW), Jordan Buckingham (SA), Liam Hatcher (NSW)
Handscomb will be joined in the batting group by fellow established Shield performers Sam Whiteman, Jake Doran and Henry Hunt, while exciting young pair Teague Wyllie (18) and Campbell Kellaway (20) have also been named in the 13-player squad.
Tasmania's Tim Ward and Queensland's Jack Clayton, both of whom posted maiden first-class hundreds last summer, have also been selected.
Blues quick and former ODI rep Chris Tremain and Bulls spinner Matt Kuhnemann, who made his ODI debut in Sri Lanka in June, are the two most experienced members of an attack that also includes NSW quicks Liam Hatcher and Neil Lawrence-Smith, as well as recent South Australia addition Jordan Buckingham.
"We've picked a squad which has a balance of youth and experience," said national selection panel chair George Bailey. "Sam Whiteman and Chris Tremain have been rewarded for consistent performances over a long period of time in the Marsh Sheffield Shield, while emerging talents Jack Clayton, Tim Ward and Jordan Buckingham will benefit immensely from the experience.
"It's an exciting opportunity for Teague Wyllie and Campbell Kellaway to play alongside and learn from established domestic cricketers against an international team of South Africa's quality.”
The four-day tour match runs from Friday 9 to Monday 12 December, with live scores on cricket.com.au, ahead of the NRMA Insurance Test Series between Australia and South Africa the Gabba from December 17.