Players from the Commonwealth Bank Cricket Academy (CBCA) will take on national academies from New Zealand and South Africa in Townsville next week, in a nine-match round-robin series.

Members of the New Zealand Cricket Academy (NZCA) and South Africa's Plascon Cricket Academy (SAFCA) will join the CBCA scholars for the two-week tournament to be held from 3-17 August.

The CBCA coaching staff of Bennett King (Head Coach), Wayne Phillips (ACB Coach) and Troy Cooley (AIS Coach) selected the following players to take part in the matches:

NAME	STATE	PLAYER TYPE	AGE
George Bailey (captain)	TAS	RHB, RM	19
Aaron Bird	NSW	RMF, RHB	18
Liam Buchanan	VIC	RHB, OB	21
Beau Casson	WA	RHB, SLC	19
Mark Cosgrove	SA	LHB, RM	18
David Dawson	ACT	RHB, WKT	20
Callum Ferguson	SA	RHB	17
Adam Fleming	NSW	RMF, RHB	19
Brett Geeves	TAS	RF, RHB	20
Wes Robinson	WA	LHB, LM	21
Craig Simmons	WA	LHB, SLC	19
Chris Simpson	QLD	RHB, RM, OB	20
Matthew Weeks	SA	RF, RHB	19
Darren Wotherspoon	NSW	RHB	23

The series is the result of a CBCA proposal to stage the tournament in northern Australia after a similar series planned for India was cancelled.

The schedule will see each academy play two three-day games and four one-day games over the two-week period.

CBCA Head Coach Bennett King said the series was part of the academy's training to prepare players for the next step in their cricket careers.

"If we are to keep developing our players we need to provide adequate opportunities for them to test their skills against quality opposition in match conditions, as well as expose them to unfamiliar surroundings," King said.

"The players are coming off their second semester at the academy and these matches are the perfect chance to test the knowledge they have gained in the competitive arena.

"It is important to keep building the players' experience, and this international competition will provide the side with just that," he said.

The 14-man squad has been chosen from the 24 scholars that have attended the CBCA since May. The players complete their time at the CBCA this week after taking part in two six-week residential blocks at the CBCA's base in Adelaide.

Six of the players selected in the squad represented Australia at the 2002 International Cricket Council Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand in February.

Captain George Bailey, Aaron Bird, Beau Casson, Mark Cosgrove, Adam Fleming and Craig Simmons were part of the successful Australian under-19 squad that defeated South Africa.

The CBCA squad will arrive in Townsville on Monday 29 July to conduct a series of cricket clinics.

The New Zealand and South African squads will arrive in Townsville on Wednesday 31 July.

The CBCA will host the matches at Townsville's Endeavour Park with the support of Queensland Cricket, Townsville Cricket and the Commonwealth Bank.

International academy match schedule

3-5 August	CBCA v NZCA
6-8 August	CBCA v SAFCA
9-11 August	NZCA v SAFCA
12 August	CBCA v NZCA
13 August	CBCA v SAFCA
14 August	NZCA v SAFCA
15 August	CBCA v NZCA
16 August	CBCA v SAFCA
17 August	NZCA v SAFCA

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