Moments after conducting a press conference at Cricket NSW’s Silverwater facility, Ollie Davies spotted a rogue cricket bat lying in the corner of the room. He immediately retrieved the willow and started shadow batting behind the cameras.
“It’s not mine, but it looks good,” he said, while practising his forward defence.
“I might take it.”
Davies, speaking on the eve of the Sydney Thunder’s Big Bash League season opener, is one of those cricketers who can’t resist testing out any bat he comes across. Much to his delight, New South Wales teammates have started donating their broken bats to him.
“Jack Edwards just broke two bats and my dad’s got this little garage at home, and he fixes them up,” Davies explained.
“I’m taking them straight home and he’ll fix them up and he’ll use them for himself.”
Davies’ dad, who works in carpentry, has repaired several of the 23-year-old’s fractured bats. Last summer, he mended a crack in one of his New Balance sticks, which Davies later used in Big Bash games.
“He doesn’t really know what he’s doing,” Davies laughed.
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After representing Australia at the Under-19 Cricket World Cup in 2020, Davies made his BBL debut later that year, since establishing himself as a Thunder fan favourite. He was the club’s leading run-scorer last summer with 333 runs at 27.75, including three fifties in 13 knocks, earning a maiden Australia A call-up earlier this season.
Davies, who you’ll often find surfing on the northern beaches, received his long-awaited baggy blue earlier this year, making his first-class debut for NSW in Albury. However, ahead of the 2023/24 summer, Davies was informed he wouldn’t be considered for selection in the Sheffield Shield team anytime soon.
“I definitely was pigeonholed as a white-ball player,” Davies said.
“At the start of the year, I got told that I wasn’t going to be playing in the red-ball for New South Wales in the first few games.
“It was difficult.
“I had a couple of chats with a couple of people at Cricket NSW and got told that they just didn’t think I was up to red-ball cricket at the moment. That was pretty disappointing to hear.”
An injury for Blues all-rounder Jack Edwards opened the door for Davies’ return to the Sheffield Shield side for last month’s contest against reigning champions Western Australia at the SCG. NSW was in a spot of bother at 4-71 when Davies walked out to bat in the first innings, but facing the likes of Joel Paris and Lance ‘The Wild Thing’ Morris, he smacked a career-best 129 (143), bringing up his maiden first-class hundred with a six over long-on.
“I remember I was out there batting, and (WA spinner) Corey (Rocchiccioli) was bowling to me,” Davies said.
“He said, ‘If you’re on 99, I’m probably gonna bring the field up to you,’ and I said, ‘I’ll take it on.’
“As soon as it was tossed up, I was like, ‘I’m going to try and get it for six’. I got it luckily, which was nice.
“I definitely wouldn’t have liked to hit that one straight up.”
Nobody else managed more than 54 in the match, with NSW securing its first Sheffield Shield win in more than 20 months, breaking a 15-match victory drought.
When asked if he felt like he had proven his doubters wrong, Davies beamed: “Might have done, might have done.
“I thought that I was ready to go, and I showed that I was ready to go. I just needed to be given the opportunity.
“I bat very similar in red-ball cricket than I do in white-ball cricket, and I think that’s what sometimes gets people off-side.
“I’ll try to play at balls that some people would say I don’t need to because it’s a longer format.
“I just feel like if I see a ball that I can hit, I’m gonna hit it. 70 off 70 balls for me is the same as 70 off 150.”
Davies’ red-ball form continued through to late November, notching 67 and 62 during his following Sheffield Shield match in Hobart, top-scoring for NSW in both innings. He entered the Big Bash break as the state’s leading run-scorer in the competition.
Blues opener Daniel Hughes has noticed a change in mindset from Davies this summer, commending the right-hander’s work ethic and enthusiasm.
“I’ve really seen a change of attitude from Ollie this year,” Hughes told Fox Cricket.
“He’s willing to do the hard work away from the middle. He’s training really well, he’s preparing himself really well, and that’s showing in his performances.
“He’s going from strength to strength.
“There’s no reason he can’t be a great No. 5 in red-ball cricket in the future, because he certainly has all the attributes.”
Davies has also garnered praise for his intent to score regardless of the conditions, most notably during the low-scoring Sheffield Shield clash against Tasmania at the SCG, where the pitch drew plenty of criticism. Walking out to bat at 4-61 in the first innings, Davies plundered an unbeaten 81 despite the challenging conditions, with the Blues ultimately clinching a 74-run victory.
“Players like Ollie take the surface out of the game,” former Australian and NSW wicketkeeper Brad Haddin told Fox Cricket’s Follow On Podcast last week.
“He’s one of those unique players that no matter what the surface they play on, they’re looking to score.
“There will be days it works and days it doesn’t, but he’ll always have at the front of his mind, ‘How do I move the game forward?’
“He’s definitely a star of the future.”
Davies has started pursuing opportunities overseas in franchise cricket, putting his name down for this month’s Indian Premier League Auction. However, the youngster acknowledged his chances of being picked up are “very, very slim”.
“I had a long chat with my manager and I guess it was pretty harmless to put my name down,” Davies explained.
“You never know. There could be someone who’s seen some footage and likes what they see.
“I understand that I’m only 23, and I hopefully have another 10-year career of opening the door over there.”
The ultimate goal for Davies remains Test cricket; he still wants to don the baggy green and represent his country. But in the coming years, he’ll inevitably be confronted with scheduling conflicts, potentially having to sacrifice lucrative opportunities overseas to fulfil domestic duties with New South Wales and the Thunder.
Last summer, Thunder teammate Daniel Sams rejected a state contract to pursue the high-paying T20 circuit, and no doubt several Australian cricketers will follow suit over the coming years.
“There’s probably a bit more money to be made if I was to choose to go down the T20 path,” Davies said.
“The cricket world is moving towards a white-ball focus more, with all the tournaments that are going around.
“At the end of the day, cricket’s a job as well.
“I’m probably not going to ever open or bat three for Australia in Test cricket. The spots I’m going to bat are probably four or five or six.
“There probably are opportunities to play in different tournaments around the world, where you will get picked in sides. Trying to continue to chase those three spots that are only going to be available for three people in the whole of Australia might not be the dream for some people.
“At the moment, I definitely want to play Test cricket, but I also understand that some people are leaning probably towards the white-ball focus just because there are heaps more opportunities in those leagues.”
Davies, whose mother was born in Trinidad, supported both Australia and the West Indies growing up. When playing backyard cricket with his younger brother Joel, who signed for the Sydney Sixers this year, he would try to emulate the Caribbean’s superstars, even owning some West Indies merchandise.
The Davies brothers are eligible for a Trinidad passport, which would allow them to represent the West Indies, but Ollie currently has no plans on following in Brendan Nash’s footsteps.
“I want to play for Australia,” he declared.
“I dread the possibility of even playing for another state or Big Bash side, just because I love where I live right now and I don’t think I could ever move countries, let alone state.
“Who knows, if I got to 34 and there had been no opportunities and I really wanted to play Test cricket, then it might be a possibility, but at the moment I’m pretty stuck on staying in Australia.”
Davies isn’t only committed to Australian cricket, but also the Thunder; he’ll be pursuing a lengthy contract extension if he enjoys another golden summer with the bat. Thunder captain Chris Green penned a six-year deal with the Big Bash club in 2019, something Davies is also striving for.
“I’m probably going to push for something similar like that. I want to be a one-club player,” Davies said.
“I’d love to stay here my whole career, and hopefully there’ll be an opportunity to do something similar to what Greeny did.
“We’ll wait and see what happens.”
The Thunder gets its campaign underway at Canberra’s Manuka Oval on Tuesday evening, facing the Brisbane Heat at 7.15pm AEDT.
