Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
The instruction was straightforward.
Victoria wanted Ollie Peake to put cricket aside and spend a few days with friends late in the Sheffield Shield season.
Peake started the summer with just three professional matches under his belt but by March had quickly accumulated nearly 30.
There was an opportunity to rest him after a head knock and it aligned perfectly with best mate Lachie Jaques making his AFL debut for Western Bulldogs.
But emblematic of the go-getting Peake, he felt guilty for switching off mid-season and organised a net session with a club side in Queensland.
The plan reached Victorian coach Chris Rogers who, according to Peake, “heavily advised” him to lock the kit bag away.
“I was thinking about it, I was in communication with my under-19s teammate Charlie Lachmund,” Peake said.
“I was going to go and have a hit at his club training because I felt a bit bad. The boys were playing a Shield game in Tassie and thought I should be doing some work.
“But no, Buck (Rogers) heavily advised me not to do that and said there was going to be plenty of time to train.
“I packed the cricket kit away and focused on my mate’s debut, that was one of the great weekends.
“(Buck) was saying if things are going the way you want them to go, you’re going to have plenty of time away from home – it’s good to make sure you stay personable and in check with your mates.”
Rogers was right.
Peake joined the Australian camp for its white-ball series not long after and made his international debut in May against Pakistan in Rawalpindi.
The left-hander played four One Day International matches in difficult conditions, rubbing shoulders with and learning from the players he idolised.
“Probably from the international stint I learned quite a bit about the mental side of the game and controlling emotions,” Peake said.
“It was definitely a new thing, mixing in with guys you’ve idolised growing up. You’re playing alongside them, fielding next to them and not wanting to let them down.
“Also having to focus on your own game, that was the battle going on inside my own head.
“But I felt like every game I played, I was lucky to get a few games under my belt, I felt like I grew in confidence. I felt more myself every game.”
Peake was told to “tap in and ask as many questions” as he could in his first brush with international cricket.
He worked closely with Josh Inglis and Matt Renshaw, writing down and reflecting on techniques he can use on future subcontinent tours.
“You learn a lot about spin play over there, you have to be so much more precise with every shot,” Peake said.
“In Australia, I would consider myself a decent player of spin but (had) to go to another level on different sweeping techniques.
“Being able to stay in the shot for longer is something they talk about a lot and being a lot more precise.
“Dialling into your game plan was something that was an eye opener for me. I had someone great showing me the way in Josh Inglis and Matt Renshaw in Pakistan.
“To be able to watch them and work alongside them was great.”
Peake and fellow Victorian Campbell Kellaway have been cast as Australia’s next generation.
Ricky Ponting endorsed them both, publicly urging national selectors to stop playing it safe and fast-track the pair into the international furnace.
But Peake isn’t getting swept up in the noise, insisting he is happy to wait “as long as it takes”.
“I’m not worried about the amount of time (it takes) to get there, the dream is definitely to play for Australia and earn the baggy green,” he said.
“But I’m happy to wait for as long as it takes. I feel like I’m still learning my game asking heaps of questions of the guys around me.
“I love playing for Victoria as well, to continue to play consistent cricket with the Vics and Renegades in the Big Bash this year.
“I’m happy to be playing and contributing to wins, whatever comes of that happens. This time last year I had probably only played three professional games.
“I’ve been able to see a lot of things. I’ve been able to pick up trends of how people bowl to me.
“I’ve definitely had to go away and improve my game and check back in to how I want to play.
“I think sometimes you can go down a rabbit hole of perfection, but it’s sort of not really chasing that and (instead) accepting the way you play.”
Peake is in Australia’s white-ball squad for the series against Zimbabwe and South Africa that starts on September 15.
