Luke Vukusic made his debut for the Croatian national team this weekend, following in the footsteps of sister Erin & younger brother Zach.
Luke scored 157 runs, took three wickets and also contributed 3 catches & a run out in five matches across a 7 game T10 series against Cyprus, with Croatia winning 5-2. Luke is eligible for European Cricket organised fixtures whilst awaiting his Croatian passport to enable him to play in full ICC internationals.
Luke scored 54 from 25 balls in the final match of the series, whilst brother Zach stole the headlines, smashing every all 6 legal balls of a Scott Austin over for 6, with a no ball and three wides meaning one over went for 40!
Earlier in the week, Zach, who started his cricketing career at Thorverton as a junior before moving to Exeter CC, also broke the world record for the youngest captain of an international men’s team across all formats, skippering the Croatian side in a T20I also against Cyprus aged just 17 years and 311 days.
Zach, who played four 2nd XI league games for Thorverton in the covid-affected 2020 season aged just 12, has recently joined the Somerset academy, following in the footsteps of Erin who is playing her first season as a professional for the newly professional women’s side. Her first wicket in professional cricket was that of Australian legend Ellyse Perry.
Luke joined the junior set-up in the early 2010s whilst still at primary school and made his senior league debut in 2016 and his 1st XI debut in 2020.
He has scored 1280 runs, taken 39 Devon League wickets and even kept wicket for the 1st XI. He maiden his maiden century for Thorverton last year, scoring 115 off 74 balls in a T20 v Sandford. He took a 5 wicket haul for the 2nd XI against Exeter 2nd XI in 2023. So far this term Luke has scored 208 league runs @ 29.7, including a crucial 77* in the seven wicket win at Torquay & Kingskerwell.
Luke’s other scores for Croatia this weekend were 18 (11), 35 (15), 22 (18) and 28 (14). His bowling figures:- 1-11, 0-15, 1-20 and 1-34. Mum Tammi is hoping Luke will have his passport this year to enable him to play for Croatia with brother Zach in ICC organised T20I cricket. Luke is spending this week playing representative cricket in Zagreb before returning in time for the weekend’s DCL fixture.
Luke said: “I’ve had great fun representing Croatia alongside my brother Zach, and always nice to get a few good knocks in to get back for Saturday cricket”
“It was certainly a change of venue from Station Ground, especially with the heat, so looking forward to the cooler temperatures back home”
Congratulations Luke!
Thorverton Cricket Club 