Billy Stanlake

Billy Stanlake has what it takes to be called as an express pace bowler, he stands tall at a height of 6ft and 8in, produces express pace, have a rhythm in his bowling and also allows the ball to swing. The Australian pacer who hails from Queensland made a name for himself in first class arena with his lethal pace and his ability to produce extra bounce using his height. But that is not how Stanlake started, in his initial life his father along with his brother motivated him to join Australian Rules Football, until Billy changed his school and showered his love to cricket. After joining cricket, he became a successful youth cricketer, he represented Queensland U-19 and then was picked for 2012 and 2014 U-19 World Cups. Although he suffered injury in both of editions but was able to participate and play in the latter, where he turned out to be most economical bowler for Aussies which helped him to get a contract with Queensland for 2014-15 season.

Stanlake was a surprise call up for international team and made an ODI debut against Pakistan in January 2017. He made his T20 debut in the same year against Sri Lanka. Billy has also shown that with the use of his height and smooth bowling action he can even notch up the speed of 150 kmph, and is a lethal weapon in Australia's arsenal. In the franchise cricket, Stanlake has been a part of the Adelaide Strikers since 2015 while in the Indian Premier League, Billy was bought by Hyderabad in the 2018 auction after he spent a year with Bengaluru.

Recurring injuries, including a fractured right shoulder and multiple back stress fractures, repeatedly interrupted Billy Stanlake's momentum and eventually cost him his Cricket Australia contract ahead of the 2019-20 season. The most significant shift in his career came in May 2022 when he left Queensland to join Tasmania in search of a fresh start within Australia's domestic system. The move proved transformative. Stanlake became a key figure for the Hobart Hurricanes in BBL 12 and later played an important role in their drought-breaking title triumph during the 2023-24 season. His consistent domestic performances steadily rebuilt his case for a return to higher honours.

That road back to representative cricket finally arrived in 2025. After impressing in the Top End T20 series in Darwin in August, where he picked up four wickets in three matches at an economy of 6.08, Stanlake earned selection in the Australia A squad for the series against Sri Lanka A. While his BBL season was relatively quiet, sustained performances in domestic cricket were enough to secure him a call-up for Australia's ODI tour of Pakistan in the absence of the senior trio.