or 21-year-old Zanden Jeh, a talented left-arm spinner from Brisbane, the call that changed everything came while he was standing in front of a school classroom. Between teaching lessons and managing students, Jeh missed the phone call — one that would announce his maiden selection to the Australia A squad. It was only when he returned the call to selector Tony Dodemaide that the dream began to unfold.
“I was at school teaching at the time when I got the call,” Jeh recalls. “I actually missed it the first time and had to call Tony back after his voicemail… So, the first person I told was Dad. He was in Hobart for work. It was pretty cool to share that moment with him — a bit of surprise and unexpectedness — but yeah, ready to rip in.”
Jeh’s rise is as much a story of natural talent as it is of family and heritage. Born in Australia, he carries the rich legacy of Sri Lankan cricket through his father Michael, who played first-class cricket in England before settling in Australia. Growing up, Zanden and his family lived and breathed cricket — often literally, as their house corridors doubled as cricket pitches.
“Obviously being half Sri Lankan, half Aussie — two countries that love their cricket — Dad was a big driver in that,” Jeh says. “We played as kids in the corridor and had a lot of family support on both sides. They were big drivers, I’d say, in fostering my love for the game.”
His passion has since translated into performances on the field that have caught national attention. One particularly satisfying moment came when Jeh took the wicket of Australian star Glenn Maxwell during a second XI match at Melbourne’s Junction Oval.
“Obviously Glenn’s resume speaks for itself… The fact that we even get the opportunity to play against someone like that in second element cricket was pretty cool,” he says, modestly downplaying the scalp. “I think it was a bit more luck than anything else. He holed out to deep square… there’s no pictures on the scorecard, I guess. But he’s an exceptional player — just bowling to him was special.”
Jeh’s cricketing identity is an interesting mix of natural instinct and developed craft. Despite being right-handed in almost everything — writing, throwing, even kicking — he bowls and bats left-handed. That unusual balance has given him a distinctive edge.
“In batting, I always loved watching Mike Hussey. He was a bit of a role model growing up — I tried to model my cover drive on him,” he says. “Bowling-wise, I grew up watching Jadeja and Rangana Herath. Herath, being Sri Lankan, was really, really cool to watch. More recently, guys like Mitch Santner and Matt Kuhnemann — seeing them in action has been really special. I’ve been lucky to play against some of them too.”
With his selection for the Australia A side’s upcoming tour against Sri Lanka A in Darwin, which includes three 50-over matches and two four-day games, Jeh finds himself at the threshold of a larger stage — not just representing his country, but doing so against the nation of his ancestry. It’s a narrative that blends cricket, identity, and a cross-cultural journey that feels especially meaningful for the South Asian diaspora.
For fans of multicultural cricket and emerging Australian talent, Zanden Jeh is a name to remember — a young man who bowls left, lives right, and dreams big. As he prepares to don the green and gold in Darwin, the cricketing world will be watching — and cheering for the boy who once played in corridor pitches and now prepares to play under stadium lights.
