Ollie Peake on his quest for the perfect cricketing preparation

Ollie Peake’s promising cricketing career has gone from zero to 100 in a matter of months. On tour with Australia A, he opens up on his changing mindset and not setting personal goals.

Ollie Peake in Sri Lanka. Photo: Ben Cameron.

Geelong cricket’s hottest commodity in many summers, Ollie Peake, is still trying to figure out the best way to achieve sporting equilibrium.

Peake, who located from Geelong to Melbourne to live with his aunty in early June, said it was a huge learning curve to be a development player during Australia’s Test tour of Sri Lanka in February.

The 18-year-old has enjoyed a life-changing six months, making three major debuts since January across the Big Bash League, Sheffield Shield and now the Australia A series in the Top End.

The Geelong leftie said the Galle experience earlier this year was vastly different to the more structured environments in the state team or at Kardinia Park under coach Eamonn Vines.

And individually, he’s not about setting goals but rather trying to find the perfect mindset before and during matches.

Ollie Peake is playing for Australia A in Darwin. Picture: Cricket Australia.

“I think I’m still sort of figuring it out,” Peake said of attaining perfect preparation, just a few days after striking a 38-ball, unbeaten 55 against Sri Lanka A in Darwin.

“I have noticed when I bat the best is when I’m completely not focused on sort of making a certain amount of runs.

“I’m trialling a few different things. Trying to figure out what I have to do to feel in the right headspace to perform at my best.

Ollie Peake bats with Nathan McSweeney. Picture: Cricket Australia.

“It’s about getting the team into the best position possible.

“The other day I was taking a few risks and slogging a few balls, which was a bit uncharacteristic for me but I was just trying to get the runs up for our team.

“I wasn’t really worried if I got out for five or made fifty, it was more to just get the team into the best position possible.”

It’s why he avoids personal goal setting.

Ollie Peake was a development player during Australia’s Test tour of Sri Lanka. Photo: Ben Cameron.

“I sort of feel a lot of that stuff is uncontrollable, I’m probably more focused on making sure I’m in the right headspace for every game, and preparing the best I can,” he said.

“Team selection and run scored is all out of my control.

“I’m just more focused on doing what I can to help the team.”

The approach is working fine with Peake combining with former Test opener Nathan McSweeney in a 100-run stand last Friday, which took Australia A to 4-332 off its full complement of overs against Sri Lanka A.

“It was good to come in when we were already in a really good position,” Peake said.

“I was just trying to soak up batting with (McSweeney) ... that was a pretty cool experience.

“He definitely helped manage my innings at the start.

“I was struggling a little bit to time the ball and he just reminded me to hit it into the gaps and run hard.

Peake made 52 on Sheffield Shield debut in March. Picture: Daniel Carson/Getty Images.

“We pinched a few twos that probably weren’t there. He’s super good to bat with.”

He said the Marrara pitch had been “pretty spicy” early but became flatter by the time he strode to the crease at 4-232 with a plan of facing as fewer dot balls as possible.

“And once the ball was older it was skidding on pretty nicely onto the bat,” he said.

He and McSweeney had bonded during that Test tour in Sri Lanka, while Peake also picked the brains of fellow tyro Cooper Connolly and veteran Usman Khawaja — keen to know how a fellow leftie deals with foreign, spinning wickets.

Ollie Peake is playing for Australia A in Darwin. Picture: Cricket Australia.

“We spent a fair few hours sitting on the bench, just talking about batting,” Peake said of McSweeney, who had been dropped from the national team during the Test summer against India.

“He was really good and really welcoming over there ... a great man and brings everyone together.

“At training I spoke to Usman a lot, which was pretty cool.

“I tried to pick everyone’s brains the best I could.

Ollie Peake has signed his first full-time contract with the Melbourne Renegades. Photo: Melbourne Renegades.

“Getting into the lift with (Steve Smith), being up close and personal ... every time it was a bit of a ‘pinch yourself’ moment.”

However, Peake was most struck by the individual programs the Test players enjoyed.

“By that stage of their career, they’re so in control of what they feel like they need to feel ready for the game,” he said.

“A lot of people will hit heaps of balls, other people won’t hit as many.

“Same with fielding ... for me at the moment it’s trying to figure out what that looks like for me.

“They know their game so well.

“They’ve got the freedom in the training sessions to do whatever they need.

Ollie Peake warms up before an Australia A game in Darwin. Picture: Cricket Australia.

“A lot of their trainings are formatted as optional sessions.

“In other environments, such as club training, everything’s pretty structured so that’s probably been the biggest difference at that level.”

Peake said he felt “pretty calm” before last Friday’s match — his first at an international level.

“Australia A cricket is a great opportunity to show what you’ve got,” he said.

“I don’t really feel like I’ve got too much pressure because that was my first List A game.

“Just doing what I’ve done for heaps of years, and just trying to put that on display I guess.”

Peake, who will play against Sri Lanka A again on Wednesday in Darwin, spent a heap of downtime in April to reconnect with Geelong-based friends, improve his strength and focus on other aspects of life outside the game.

He also recently signed a full contract with the Melbourne Renegades with two home games set for Geelong: “I’m hoping to get a game down there and play in front of my home crowd.”

Originally published as Ollie Peake on his quest for the perfect cricketing preparation