The day Australia captain Jason Sangha defied England
Back in November, at the start of England’s tour of Australia, their pre-series matches felt like more than just warm-ups. For a team unfancied and under pressure following some off-field troubles, they were an opportunity to prove they could be competitive, and they seemed determined to win at all costs.
They started well, bowling a Cricket Australia XI out for 75 to seal victory in a day/night three-day game, and seemed to be cruising towards another win a few days later, running up a lead of 265 against the same opposition before reducing them to 85/3 in the third innings.
Then they ran into Jason Sangha, who, at 18 years old and playing just his second first-class game, became the youngest Australian to make a first-class hundred against England, helping his side to a draw.
“It was still quite a competitive game, they wanted to win but so did we,” he says, speaking as Australia captain at the launch of the ICC Under 19 Cricket World Cup. “It was a great experience. You don’t really get to play those oppositions that often. Especially as a young kid it’s awesome to get the opportunity to play against an international attack. To get that hundred against England absolutely meant the world to me, a lot of preparation went into that. I’m just glad it happened.”
With the benefit of hindsight it can even be seen as a tone-setting hundred, and Sangha’s ton as the first real blow landed on England’s hopes, as they often looked clueless throughout the series as to how they would dismiss some or other Australia batsman. Another theme through the series was the sledging engaged in by both sides, but Sangha was able to shrug this off along with anything England bowled at him.
“There was a little bit [of sledging]. I don’t really listen to too much of it,” he says. “But at the same time it was actually quite funny, you don’t get to hear someone like Stuart Broad sledge you every day. I sort of took it in and actually quite liked it.”
It’s a laid-back approach that will serve him well as he faces greater pressures, as will his inclination to value team success more highly than any individual achievement.
“Personally, it went ok that day but as a team performance in that game it wasn’t that great,” he says. “Right now I can’t keep thinking about that innings too much, I’ve got to focus on this ICC Under 19s Cricket World Cup. Team always comes first, and I think the Under 19s lifting the world cup for Australia would be amazing. To captain them is a privilege and something I’m definitely looking forward to. We’ve got 15 guys in that squad who can all contribute really well.”
It makes for a nice trivia question: “Who made the first of Australia’s 11 first-class hundreds against England this winter?” The answer is not Steve Smith or David Warner, but instead a relative unknown in Jason Sangha. But this tournament is his chance to step out of the shadow of that innings. There is much in that performance and his attitude since to suggest there is plenty more to come.