Retired leg-spinner Bryce McGain believes Victoria possesses one of the brightest young talents in Australian cricket in 20-year-old batsman Campbell Kellaway.
While Kellaway has just two first-class games to his name, McGain has seen enough in Victorian Premier Cricket to label Kellaway as “a player to watch” for future Australian honours.
Having made an eye-catching 105 not out for the CA XI against South Africa in Brisbane just last month, McGain praised Kellaway after an unnamed fan of the left-hander sent a message to SEN predicting that he’d earn a baggy green by next summer.
“There’s one in cricket I had on my list, I was waiting for him to pop up and he’s a young Victorian named Campbell Kellaway,” McGain said on SEN The Run Home.
“He’s batting in the middle order for Victoria at the moment, he is outstanding.
“He’s had some great grounding from the Melbourne Cricket Club with some good coaching, Greg Shipperd and Cameron White have been working with him.
“The suggestion off the SMS said, ‘He will be opening the batting for Australia by the summer of 2023’.
“That’s a big 12 months to move from where he is, he debuted just a couple of games ago.
“But he absolutely is a player to watch, and seeing him first hand, he’s a genuine star.”
As well as his obvious talent with the bat, Kellaway comes from sporting bloodlines as the nephew of former Richmond defenders Duncan and Andrew.
Referencing Duncan’s competitive personality, SEN’s Josh Jenkins expects young Campbell to be a success in professional sport if his mindset is anything like the 180-gamer having worked alongside him at the Adelaide Football Club.
“He’s the nephew of former Richmond defenders Duncan and Andrew,” Jenkins said.
“I know Duncan really well, his competitiveness is through the roof and if Campbell is anything like Duncan and Andrew, he’ll be really mild-mannered and calm but have that real competitive streak in him.
“Duncan is very much under the radar, it’s hard to get a word out of him, but you can’t beat him.”
After making his First Class debut last month, Kellaway quickly earned selection in the Big Bash for the Melbourne Stars with his debut in that format coming in the win over Hobart last Friday.