TEENAGER Teague Wyllie delivered a crucial century to help Western Australia get on top in its Sheffield Shield clash against the New South Wales at WACA Ground earlier in the week.

On a difficult pitch where only one player had surpassed 50 runs to that point, it was Wyllie who showed why he is highly touted as one of the nation’s rising young talents, scoring over 100 runs for the first time in his short first class career.

At just 18 years of age, Wyllie became the youngest batsman to score a century in the Sheffield Shield since Ricky Ponting did it in 1992-93. Despite being so young, Wyllie played with the composure of a veteran, and was the most important factor in WA’s second innings success.

Teague Wyllie – 104 runs (204)

With batsmen from both sides struggling to get the job done on a tricky surface, it was Wyllie that got his side back on track, after the hosts found themselves struggling at 6-100 at one stage.

Wyllie cracked 15 boundaries in terrific fashion, waiting for the right moment before piercing the field with some precision hitting. Not afraid to get on the front foot, Wyllie was outstanding with his decision-making under extreme pressure.

He survived a confident appeal from NSW pace bowler Liam Hatcher, who rocketed the ball into Wylie’s pads, and he only punished the Blues from there.

The Blues tried to change things up and produced some shorter deliveries, but again Wyllie had the answer. He adapted and conjured a few hook shots, which played a big role in getting his score into triple digits.

As his innings wore on, the teenager only grew in confidence, looking to take on the NSW bowlers. He combined well with fellow youngster Sam Fanning, who put a halt to the Blues’ wicket-fest, despite sacrificing his own strike rate.

At just 18 years of age, Wyllie is only going to get better the more experience he gets, and the Shield is the perfect opportunity for that. With the poise and decision-making of a 10-year veteran, he will be a mainstay in the Western Australia side for years to come, and with another innings still to play against the Blues in the coming days, Wyllie may not be done quite yet. Either way, keep an eye on the opener, who is likely to master the game from a technical standpoint.