Exciting Western Australians Lincoln Hobbs and Simon Budge will take the next step in their cricketing journey next month, with the pair both earning selection in the Australian Under 19 squad to tour India next month.

Cricket Australia (CA) has today named the Australian squad for the upcoming multi-format Under-19 Men’s Tour of India.

The Youth Selection Panel worked with State Talent Managers to select a 16-player squad for the tour which begins in September and consists of three 50-over and two four-day matches.

Budge and Hobbs both earned selection for the much-hyped tour to the subcontinent, following outstanding individual displays during last summer’s Cricket Australia Under 17 National Championships played in Victoria.

Budge, a classy wicketkeeper and top-order batter by trade, produced a remarkably consistent tournament for WA, compiling 341 runs at 68.20 including centuries against Queensland (110) and South Australia (116) in his seven innings.

He is a highly touted player in WA circles, also given the privilege of captaining the WA side at the Championships. He is quickly progressing through to the senior ranks, having made his senior first grade debut for Melville in WA Premier Cricket in March this year.

A powerful allrounder who hails from Fremantle, Hobbs was picked off the back a breakout summer in 2023-24, with his form both in the National Championships for WA and in Premier Cricket for Fremantle proving he is a player to watch out for in the future.

Hobbs was a key player with both bat and ball for WA, with his performances leading WA all the way to the Grand Final. He finished with 136 runs at 27.20, while his 9 wickets at 15.11 saw him finish as WA’s equal leading wicket-taker.

Australia’s first series of the new World Cup cycle begins against a familiar rival after the two nations squared off in the final of the 2024 ICC Men’s Under 19 World Cup in February.

Australia was undefeated at the Under 19 World Cup, beating defending champions India by 79 runs in the final in Benoni, South Africa.

Two players from the World Cup squad remain eligible for Under 19 selection with Tasmania Tigers Rookie Aidan O’Connor and Victorian Ollie Peake both selected to tour India.

Playing as a 17-year-old, Peake helped Australia to victory with a valuable 49 in the semi-final and an unbeaten 46 off 43 balls in the final.

Final schedules and broadcast details for the tour are expected to be confirmed shortly.

WA Cricket Pathways Coach – Male Programs Brian Shields said:
“We are excited to see both Lincoln and Simon get the opportunity to head to India next month, an excellent opportunity for them both to continue their development on the international stage and great recognition for the hard work they have been putting into their games over the last few seasons.

“They both played a major role for us over the last two CA U17 National Championships and were a big reason why we made it to the Grand Final in Ballarat in 2023/24, so it’s terrific to see them being rewarded for their on-field performances. 

“Simon is developing into a quality young player, his ability to bat long periods of time at the top of the order and set the game up for his team is a great strength of his and along with his tidy glovework behind the stumps and leadership skills, he brings a lot of value to any team. I look forward to seeing him continue to develop these skills over the coming years.

“Lincoln is an exciting talent, he has a lot of ability with both bat and ball, which we saw in the CA U17s National Championships earlier this year. He is a powerful allrounder who has match-winning qualities and with more exposure to top-level cricket, we think we will see his full potential on show.

Australian U19 Men’s Squad 
Thomas Brown (South Australia/Adelaide University CC)
Simon Budge (Western Australia/Melville District CC)
Zac Curtain (Tasmania/Kingborough CC)
Riley Kingsell (New South Wales/Bankstown District CC)
Alex Lee-Young (New South Wales/Mosman CC)
Steven Hogan (Queensland/Sandgate-Redcliffe CC)
Lincoln Hobbs (Western Australia/Fremantle District CC)
Harry Hoekstra (Victoria/Casey South Melbourne CC)
Christian Howe (Victoria/Melbourne CC)
Aidan O’Connor (Tasmania/Greater Northern Raiders CC)
Ollie Patterson (New South Wales/Eastern Suburbs CC)
Ollie Peake (Victoria/Geelong CC)
Vishwa Ramkumar (Victoria/Dandenong CC)
Lachlan Ranaldo (South Australia/Sturt District CC)
Hayden Schiller (South Australia/Northern Districts CC)
Addison Sheriff (New South Wales/Sydney Cricket Club)