Thirty years after father Clinton’s triple hundred versus India U-19, son Oliver Peake scores hundred | Cricket News
Clinton Peake has been in son Oliver’s shoes before. At the MCG, in 1995, he became the first ever to score a triple century in Youth Tests. Nearly 30 years on, his unbeaten 304 against India still remains the highest-ever individual score in Youth Tests. On Wednesday, in the second unofficial Test against India U-19, Australia captain Oliver scored a fluent 117, just like Clinton had while batting at No 3.
His hundred went futile, as India won an innings and 20 runs, but he showed ample promise. Oliver isn’t new to Under-19 level. Earlier this year, he was part of Australia’s victorious World Cup team, making match-winning contributions in the semi-final against Pakan and in the final against India. Having not made the cut initially, an injury to a fellow batsman opened the doors for Oliver, who grabbed it with both hands. As Oliver continues to make steady progress, the Peake household is doing everything they can to ensure his career runs long.
Despite scoring 304 and being a consent batsman for Geelong in Victoria’s premier tournament, thanks to Australia’s rich talent pool in the 90s and 2000s, Clinton played only nine first-class matches. “It is a classic example that success at Under-19 level may not transform at the highest-level,” Clinton tells The Indian Express. “Nobody told me how to go about it and what to do and what not to. But Oliver may be able to find it because he has a good support system. In my case, I made a couple of wrong choices,” he adds.
One of them was playing Australian rules football. “When you want to pursue sports at the top level you have to choose one and stick to it. Then when I did take up cricket, I was following it more as a passion as I also happened to be a professional chartered accountant. I shouldn’t have mixed. I shouldn’t have worked while trying to play cricket,” Clinton says from Geelong.
Oliver’s mother Sarah, watching her son’s milestone from the stadium, felt a sense of déjà vu. She had seen her husband go through the tough years waiting for opportunity. She is accompanying Oliver on tours so that he doesn’t miss out on cricket. “Clint did get opportunities coming from Tasmania and South Australia. But he was an out-and-out Victorian and a one-club man. He played all his life for Geelong. With Oliver, he is still young and I think the beauty for kids is that parents do so much without the kids realising we are doing it,” Sarah says.
Oliver Peake (left) with his mother Sarah Peake, father Clinton Peake and brother Charlie Peake. (Special Arrangement)
There is one aspect that both Clinton and Sarah are certain about Oliver. “You know, during Clint’s time, the Australia squad was settled. Nobody was getting dropped, nobody from Victoria was getting picked as well. So Clint had to keep waiting for opportunities,” Sarah says. Clinton concurs. “Nobody told me Steve and Mark (Waugh) would become mainstays and Ponting, Langer, Martyn would come along and stay forever. But Oliver may find it relatively easier because cricket has changed a lot,” he says.
Cricket tragic
It is why both Clinton and Sarah have ensured Oliver pursues cricket without having to worry about other aspects. Still in high school, despite Oliver being good at the academics, it is cricket that takes the centre-stage. “We never pushed cricket into him, but it just happened. I’ve photos of him with a cricket bat in his hand even before he could walk, dragging it along crawling. He used to go to bed in his cricket pads, helmet, gloves, everything. He’d be sleeping in his gear. I’ve made a determined effort to take a step back. Even Clint steps in only when Oliver needs advice. So we are saying to him, put everything into it and let’s see where it takes you. If it doesn’t take you where you want it to go, that’s when you look at other things,” Sarah says.
Growing up, Clinton invariably became his first coach. But these days, he ensures his son is getting the right bit of advice. However, prior to coming to India, Oliver raced against time to regain full fitness after injuring his left ankle. With June being an off-season, he trained with moon boots. Clinton helped him train indoors so that he is match ready when Oliver lands in India. “He couldn’t bat. He couldn’t even wear pads, but still he showed the determination to bat. Although I’m a dad first, I just wanted to ensure the kid was in good shape. He has some good minds coaching him, so I just chip in with advice,” Clinton says.
At the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Wednesday, the left-handed Oliver showed why he is seen as an exciting prospect coming out of Australia. Even as India’s bowlers, especially the two spinners Anmoljeet Singh and Mohamed Enaan, ran through Australia, they first had to get past Oliver.
Brief scores: India U19 492 beat Australia U19 277 (Oliver Peake 117, Alex Lee Young 66; Mohamed Enaan 4/60, Anmoljeet Singh 4/72) & 95 (Anmoljeet 5/32, Enaan 3/37).
