{"id":291364,"date":"2025-11-30T12:22:18","date_gmt":"2025-11-30T12:22:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/291364\/"},"modified":"2025-11-30T12:22:18","modified_gmt":"2025-11-30T12:22:18","slug":"chris-rogers-on-fergus-oneill-video-australia-a-squad-vs-english-lions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/291364\/","title":{"rendered":"Chris Rogers on Fergus O\u2019Neill, video, Australia A squad vs English Lions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Victorian coach Chris Rogers has likened seamer Fergus O\u2019Neill to one of South Africa\u2019s modern greats, arguing the rising star doesn\u2019t need express pace to succeed at Test level.<\/p>\n

The 24-year-old, expected to be named in the Australia A squad to face the English Lions at Brisbane\u2019s Allan Border Field next week, has been one of the Sheffield Shield\u2019s most consistent performers across the last three summers<\/a>, taking 122 wickets at 21.00 for Victoria since making his first-class debut in 2022. He received the prestigious Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year award in 2024, while he was named Sheffield Shield player of the tournament last summer.<\/p>\n

However, O\u2019Neill\u2019s pace hovers around the mid-130km\/h range, prompting speculation whether he\u2019s fast enough to threaten Test-quality batters on a flat pitch.<\/p>\n

Watch The Ashes 2025\/26 LIVE and ad-break free during play with FOX CRICKET on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1 ><\/a><\/p>\n

Speaking to Fox Cricket\u2019s Domesticated, Rogers argued the right-armer boasted a similar skillset to Proteas bowler Vernon Philander, who rarely exceeded 140km\/h yet still claimed 224 Test scalps at 22.32.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe challenge for Fergus is always his perception that he\u2019s just not fast enough, that on the flatter wickets he might get found out,\u201d Rogers said.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\u201cBut I look at Vernon Philander and the success he had and the style of bowling he had, and that\u2019s very similar to Fergus O\u2019Neill.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven from my experience playing in England, seeing those kinds of bowlers who are high skill, maybe not the fastest, but they would test your defence pretty much every ball. There\u2019s a lot of value in those guys.<\/p>\n

\u201cI look at the Vernon Philander model and think, \u2018Well, if he can have success, why can\u2019t Fergus?\u2019 <\/p>\n

\u201cEven his ability to bowl for long spells, day in, day out, I think that stands out. His resilience is going be important to his armoury as well.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s got all the tools he needs to go on and have a good international career. I just think he needs that chance. And if he gets that chance, he\u2019s going to show people just how good he is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fergus O\u2019Neill of Victoria. Photo by Darrian Traynor\/Getty ImagesSource: Getty Images<\/p>\n

Rogers confessed he was disappointed O\u2019Neill missed selection for Australia\u2019s Test squad after fellow seamers Josh Hazlewood and Sean Abbott were ruled out of the Ashes opener in Perth due to injury, with national selectors instead calling up Queensland veteran Michael Neser.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou want to see these players that you work with have success, so there\u2019s a bit of disappointment from that aspect,\u201d Rogers continued.<\/p>\n

\u201cFergus knows that he\u2019s gonna have to work hard for this opportunity, but he\u2019ll be ready to go once it comes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, O\u2019Neill penned a two-year deal with Nottinghamshire in the County Championship, signing for the first half of the 2026 and 2027 seasons. He snared 21 wickets at 17.90 across four matches during this year\u2019s campaign in the United Kingdom, although his stint only lasted four weeks having secured a 28-day visa.<\/p>\n

With the likes of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Scott Boland approaching the twilight of their international careers, O\u2019Neill could come into contention for the 2027 Ashes campaign in England<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor him to go over to England, work with some of the bowling coaches and see the style of cricket, I think that\u2019s going to be really good for him as well,\u201d Rogers said.<\/p>\n

\u201dHe came back raving from his experience over with Nottinghamshire early on and just how much he learned.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven working with (Pakistan bowler Mohammad) Abbas, he had some really good conversations with him, another bowler in a similar type of mould who\u2019s had some good international success.\u201d<\/p>\n

Australia A will face the English Lions in Brisbane from Friday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Victorian coach Chris Rogers has likened seamer Fergus O\u2019Neill to one of South Africa\u2019s modern greats, arguing the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":291365,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[1721,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-291364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cricket","tag-cricket","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291364","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=291364"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291364\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/291365"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=291364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=291364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=291364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}