The 25-year-old star, who hails from Echuca, has become an international household name after making his Australian international Test debut in 2023, going on to represent his country at the ICC World Test Championship that year.
He helped Australia to win the tournament held at the Oval in London and also represented the nation in the 2023 Ashes series in England too, as the land from down under retained the Ashes following a 2–2 draw.
Now, the spinner from country Victoria is determined to give something back on home soil, doing just that at Melbourne’s Government House as part of a commitment to help grow participation among children, women and girls, and diverse communities.
The man known to fans as “Goggles” was joined by Victorian Country under-19 representative Charli McLennan as more than 100 primary school students swapped the classroom for the garland event on September 1.
Now in its second year, the Games on the Green event brought together students from Boronia Heights Primary School and Victoria Road Primary School to showcase how cricket can be played anytime, anywhere.
Victorian cricket participation reached record levels in 2025-26, with 158,877 club participants, including 51,580 juniors.
Victoria also strengthened its position as Australia’s leading state for women and girls’ cricket, with 19,549 participants last season.
Cricket Victoria chief executive Nick Cummins said Government House provided a unique setting to launch another big summer of cricket.
“It was fantastic once again to launch Play Cricket Month in such a special setting, and we are incredibly grateful to Her Excellency Professor the Honourable Margaret Gardner AC and the team at Government House for opening these beautiful grounds to Victorian school students,” he said.
“One of the great things about cricket is that it can truly be played anytime, anywhere. It might be at your local club, on a school oval, at the beach, in the backyard or, as we were lucky enough to experience today, on the lawns of Government House.
“For many children, their first experience of cricket starts simply by picking up a bat and ball with their friends.
“Days like today are about making that experience fun, accessible and memorable and hopefully inspiring more young Victorians to give cricket a go this summer.”
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