Lloyd Pope of Australia bowls during the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup Final match between Australia and India. Photo / Photosport
Australian cricket may just have found its saviour to lead them out of the turbulent times the team has endured over the past 12 months.
South Australia's teenage leg spinner Lloyd Pope has taken seven wickets to help bowl Queensland out for 231 on day one of the Sheffield Shield match in Adelaide.
The 18-year-old Pope took 7-87 in just his second first-class game, becoming the youngest cricketer ever to take seven wickets in a Shield innings.
Pope's stunning haul helped to bowl the Bulls out for 231, with SA 0-39 at stumps on the opening day at Adelaide Oval.
In just his second first-class game, the red-headed tweaker took the last seven wickets to fall in Queensland's innings.
Aged 18 years and 328 days, he set a new benchmark along the way. Pope is the only 18-year-old to take seven wickets in an innings in the Shield's 126-year history, eclipsing the record held by Doug Walters, who was 19 years and 50 days when he took 7-63 for NSW in 1964-65.
Three of Pope's victims on Thursday fell to sharp-spinning wrong'uns and the 18-year-old was also on a hat-trick, only to be denied the feat.
Test hopeful Joe Burns top-scored with 64 before becoming one of Pope's victims, judged lbw to a googly.
The red-headed tweaker also trapped Jack Wildermuth (38) lbw with another superb wrong'un and bowled Michael Neser (13) with the same style of delivery.
Queensland's Test prospects Matthew Renshaw and Marnus Labuschagne both fell for three, while SA batsman Callum Ferguson was ruled out of the match because of a calf injury.
Ferguson might also miss the following round of Shield fixtures starting next week in a blow to his chances to push for selection in the Test series against India starting in December.
Renshaw, in his first Shield game of the season after recovering from concussion, and Labuschagne were both dismissed by SA quick Joe Mennie, who took 2-35.
Renshaw missed an attempted drive to a fullish ball which hit off stump, while Labuschagne was out on his ninth ball, edging a Mennie delivery to first slip.
Redbacks paceman Chadd Sayers (1-45) soon trapped Charlie Hemphrey lbw for four to reduce the Bulls to 3-29 inside 11 overs.
But it was Pope who stole the limelight on the day's play as he torpedoed his way through the Queensland line-up. He dismissed Sam Heazlett (18), caught behind down the leg side, with his first ball.
The leggie, who turns 19 on December 1, then added Burns, Jack Wildermuth (38), Neser, Mitchell Swepson (golden duck), Jimmy Peirson (42) and Brendan Doggett (18) to his list of victims.
The move is another twist in the midfielder’s colourful career.