Kellaway makes his claim with highest score in PM XI side as McSweeney and Peake also chip in with fifties.
Kellaway enhances his credentials with top score for Prime Minister’s XI.
With an impressive 82 for the Prime Minister’s XI against an England XI, Campbell Kellaway gave an indication of why he is considered a future Australian Test opener.
Kellaway threatened to strike a century for the Prime Minister’s XI on Saturday, one year after Sam Konstas fought his way into the Test team.
Even though skipper Tom Haines’ brilliant one-handed reflex catch at first slip destroyed Kellaway’s dreams of a century, he nevertheless made an impression at Manuka Oval.
The PM’s XI declared at 308 for 8 thanks to his runs, while the England Lions team went to stumps 30 without losing to the pink ball.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was being married to his partner Jodie Haydon on Saturday, so it is doubtful that he saw Kellaway’s runs.
However, Australian selectors will have taken notice of them; this month, Victoria coach Chris Rogers called Kellaway a ready-made Test player.
Kellaway’s runs came against an attack that featured Test-capped bowlers Josh Tongue and Matthew Potts, who will both be competing to replace the injured Mark Wood at the Gabba, despite England’s decision not to use the game as a warm-up for the day-night second Test in Brisbane.
Kellaway’s 82 came after he was roughed up by Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, and Josh Hazlewood during a half-century earlier this month against a New South Wales attack.
Rogers named Kellaway the long-term replacement for Usman Khawaja as Australia’s Test opener after that innings.
On his way to 36, Konstas had given encouraging early indications for the hosts in Canberra. His shot of the day was a drive to the long-on boundary off Tongue.
However, he used his feet to Haines and skied to mid-on, one ball after clipping him to the midwicket boundary, ending any aspirations of replicating last year’s century.
Potts, the star of the attack, dismissed both youthful phenom Oliver Peake (54) and Nathan McSweeney (63), who played three Test matches against India last season.