Australian white-ball players Billy Stanlake and Sam Heazlett headline 2023 NT Strike League

Australian representatives, BBL stars and NT talent make up a 60 player list set to go head-to-head in the 2023 Strike League competition.

A pair of Australian white-ball representatives, a host of State and BBL contracted players and plenty of local talent make up the 60 players competing in the 2023 NT Strike League.

More than eight ODIs, 17 T20Is, 138 First Class, 123 List-A and over 250 Big Bash games worth of young talent will be on show throughout the tournament.

Billy Stanlake and Sam Heazlett have represented Australia in ODI and T20I and will this year will join local legends and rising young talent to compete in the country’s premier winter competition.

Brisbane Heat's Sam Heazlett will play in the 2023 Strike League. Picture: Trevor Collens

NT Cricket’s head of cricket Darren Treumer this year’s Strike League was set to take the sport to another level following a fantastic domestic season.

“We have a great mix of young talent coming from around the country,” Treumer said.

“From Perth Scorchers teen sensation Cooper Connolly, Brisbane Heat big hitter Max Bryant, to some of the best young spinners in the country in Lloyd Pope, Wil Parker and Jarrod Freeman.

“Really excited to welcome Billy Stanlake and Sam Heazlett to Strike League for the first time as they seek to work their way back to the form that saw them represent Australia in ODI and T20I cricket.

“Throw in Josh Brown and Ryan Hackney who have already been up here dominating for Nightcliff and Waratah in the local competition, and the scene is set for some cracking cricket.”

Treumer said Strike League was also about enhancing the developing of local emerging talent picking out Tom Menzies as one to watch.

All eyes will be on local talent Tom Menzies throughout Strike League. Picture: NT Cricket.

“Tom Menzies is arguably the best young cricketer in the Territory, at 17 years of age this is a great opportunity for him to test himself and showcase his talents,” said Treumer.

The 60 players will fill out the four CDU Strike League franchises, City Cyclones, Desert Blaze, Southern Storm and Northern Tide with coaches Simon Helmot, Shane Jurgensen, Darren Berry and Mark Cosgrove coming on board.

The four sides will compete in 10 50-over games and 11 T20 matches for a total of 21 fixtures played across 37 days and multiple Top End venues from June 25 to July 28.

NT Emerging Players

Jacob Dickman 25yo Darwin

Matt Hammond 26yo Darwin

Charlie Kemp 17yo Darwin

Tom Menzies 17yo Darwin

Harshtik Bimbral 19yo Palmerston

Coby Edmonstone 22 PINT

Michael Kudra 20yo Nightcliff

Hamish Martin 23yo Palmerston

Dylan Mullen 24yo Southern Districts

Sam Elder 20yo Tracy Village

Zayden Lewis 17yo Tracy Village

Hugo Matthias 16yo Waratah

NT Cricket Local Association Players

Anthony Adlam 24yo Darwin (Tasmania)

Matt Calder 23yo Darwin (South Australia)

Angus Sidey 20yo Darwin (New Zealand)

Farzan Chowna 18yo PINT (Victoria)

Mitch Doolan 20yo PINT (Victoria)

Dhanusha Gamage 20yo PINT (Victoria)

Douwtjie Hoogenboezem 19yo Nightcliff (Western Australia)

Caelan Maladay 21yo Nightcliff (New South Wales)

Tom McGann 20yo Palmerston (Tasmania)

Keegan Oates 23yo Palmerston (Tasmania)

Lochie Hardy 21yo Southern Districts (Western Australia)

Corey Hunter 22yo Southern Districts (Queensland)

Jackson Isakka 21yo Southern Districts (New South Wales)

Tom Jackson 23yo Southern Districts (South Australia)

Josh Kann 23yo Southern Districts (South Australia)

Brodie Symons 23yo Southern Districts (Victoria)

Vincent Huf 18yo Tracy Village (Victoria)

Isaac Conway 26yo Waratah (South Australia)

Jagadeswara Kodru 20yo Waratah (Victoria)

Jason Sangha 23to Waratah (New South Wales)

Param Uppal 24yo Waratah (Tasmania)

Jack Wood 27yo Waratah (South Australia)

State and Territory Nominated Players

Hanno Jacobs 21yo ACT

Zak Keogh 21yo ACT

Tom Vane-Tempest 25yo ACT

Liam Doddrell 20yo NSW

Ryan Hackney 23yo NSW

Toby Gray 21yo NSW

Hunar Verma 21yo NSW

Kyle Brazell 21yo SA

Isaac Higgins 20yo SA

Ryan King 21yo SA

Lloyd Pope 23yo SA

Seamus Keogh 21yo SA

Jarrod Freeman 22yo TAS

Billy Stanlake 28yo TAS

Jesse Willmott 18yo TAS

Josh Brown 29yo QLD

Max Bryant 24yo QLD

Sam Heazlett 27yo QLD

Angus Lovell 23yo QLD

Harrish Kannan 19yo VIC

Wil Parker 21yo VIC

Reiley Mark 20yo VIC

Cooper Connolly 19yo WA

Joel Curtis 23yo WA

Jayden Goodwin 21yo WA

Waheguru Dhillon 23yo WA

‘Untapped gem’: Strike League reveals new head coaches

Former champion Sheffield Shield wicket keeper and short form coaching specialist Darren Berry will oversee one of the franchises in the Strike League from next month.

Berry will join several other mentors with elite level experience set to marshall Strike League outfits, including Simon Helmot (Melbourne Renegades), Shane Jurgensen (New Zealand national bowling coach) and Mark Cosgrove (three ODIs for Australia) from June 25.

The 21-game Strike League will consist of a mixture of 50-over and T20 fixtures and run until July 28.

The 53-year-old has coached the Adelaide Strikers and was an assistant at the Sydney Sixers under Greg Shipperd, plus stints with Islamabad in the Pakistan Super League and alongside the late Shane Warne at the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL as a team manager.

Berry, currently director of coaching at Rowville Secondary College, said the Strike League continued to grow in stature and he was excited to take part.

Darren Berry with Hobart Hurricanes head coach Jeff Vaughan. Picture: Eddie Safarik

“The facilities are first class and the climate this time of year makes it a great destination for players to develop their game,” Berry said.

“Cricket in the Territory is an untapped gem and what NT Cricket are doing with Cricket 365 is a great example of the enormous potential up here.”

Meanwhile, Jurgensen, who has previously coached Bangladesh, Fiji and the Rangpur Riders in the Bangladesh Premier League, was looking for some personal coaching development and experience with a three-month window opening up.

“The Strike League seemed like a great fit and New Zealand Cricket were very supportive,” Jurgensen said.

“I’m looking forward to the challenge of bringing a group of talented young cricketers together quickly and helping some young players on their journey.”

Helmot, returning from a spell in the IPL as an assistant coach at Sunrisers Hyderabad, has also been involved at several T20 leagues across the globe.

“I’ve been spending a lot of time coaching in overseas leagues, so I was keen to spend these few months in Australia,” he said.

“The chance to come up to Darwin, be part of a competition I have heard a lot of good things about and help coach and shape some of Australia’s best young talent coming through the system was the perfect opportunity.”

Simon Helmot has plenty of experience in T20 cricket. Picture: Kim Eiszele.

Cosgrove, a high performance coach with the SA Cricket Association, will return for his second stint with the Strike League after guiding the Northern Tide in 2022.

“I thoroughly enjoyed my Strike League experience last year,” Cosgrove said.

“The standard of cricket was excellent.

“The facilities were brilliant, and Darwin is a great place to spend a few months in the winter.”

NT chief executive Gavin Dovey said he was thrilled to see an internationally respected group appointed as head coaches and it was another step up for the emerging competition.

“Strike League was already without doubt the best place for our country’s emerging talent to spend their winter in Australia,” Dovey said.

Mark Cosgrove (left) with the late Neil Dansie, Jason Gillespie, Greg Blewett and Peter Sleep with the new statue of Darren Lehmann at the Adelaide Oval. Picture: Tom Huntley

“Players are now going to be coached and mentored by guys with decades of experience at the highest levels of the game.

“Coaches who are currently coaching the best players in the world.”

It will highlight a massive few months of cricket in Darwin, with the Under 19 World Cup qualifiers (June 12-21) and the Top End T20 series in August also coming up.

Meanwhile, Dylan Slater, Himesh Silva, Karl Mayne and Madura Weerasinghe will be assistant coaches during the Strike League.

Originally published as Australian white-ball players Billy Stanlake and Sam Heazlett headline 2023 NT Strike League