Edwards emerged as a star of the future when the 18-year-old blasted his way into the record books by becoming the youngest centurion in Australia's domestic one-day cup history.

Now the NSW Blues young gun will be thrown into the deep end against international powerhouse South Africa in a 50-over clash at Manuka Oval on October 31.

Edwards is the 11th player to debut for the invitational outfit aged 18 years or younger, and he is the first born in the new millennium to represent the person calling the shots at Parliament House.

As is tradition in the modern era of the Prime Minister's XI fixture, the squad boasts a veteran to steer the ship, a handful of established names pressing for higher honours and a raft of youngsters looking to make their mark.

Here is how this year's side stacks up:

THE BATSMEN: Edwards isn't the only youngster on hand - Max Bryant scores at a rate of knots and he burst onto the scene during this year's domestic one-day competition when the 19-year-old scored the fastest fifty in Queensland history.

Emerging Western Australia wicketkeeper-batsman Josh Philippe has appeared in all three formats for the Warriors and Perth Scorchers, and he has shown plenty of promise at the top of the order.

Nic Maddinson's resurgence is set to continue after he was cast aside by NSW during the off-season. The former Test batsman has been upgraded to a full state contract with Victoria and boasts a burning desire to return to the top.

Former Australian skipper and Tasmanian veteran George Bailey will captain the Prime Minister's XI in the Proteas' first game on Australian shores since the infamous sandpaper scandal.

Kurtis Patterson has no trouble getting off to a good start and he will rocket into Australian calculations if he can start converting those into centuries.

Jason Sangha grew up dreaming of being Adam Gilchrist with the bat and Brett Lee with the ball. The Blues youngster has been dubbed "the next big thing" in Australian cricket ahead of his second Prime Minister's XI appearance.

THE BOWLERS: Welcome home, Jason Behrendorff. The Western Australian fast bowler will return to Canberra and play in the fixture that launched his career as an ACT player in 2008-09. The injury-riddled paceman has put red ball cricket on hold this summer in the hopes he can get through a season unscathed.

Ben Dwarshuis was in Australia's Twenty20 squad last summer. The NSW quick is right on the cusp of wearing canary yellow.

Gurinder Sandhu's move to Tasmania was one of the toughest decisions he has had to make but the fast bowler hopes leaving the mainland can reignite his career.

Leg-spinner Usman Qadir, the son of Pakistani leg-spinning great Abdul Qadir, burst onto the scene for Western Australia last month and has already received his father's blessing to chase a baggy green.

THE COACH: A stint in the Prime Minister's XI gives Edwards another chance to flourish under the watchful eye of former Test opener Chris Rogers, with whom he has struck a close relationship in recent years.

ACT/NSW Country Comets star Tom Engelbrecht has been named 12th man to mark the fourth consecutive season in which the Prime Minister's XI has not had a local player in the final XI.

PRIME MINISTER'S XI

Wednesday, October 31: Prime Minister's XI v South Africa at Manuka Oval, 1.50pm. Tickets from Ticketek.

Prime Minister's XI squad: George Bailey (c) (Tasmania), Jason Behrendorff (Western Australia), Max Bryant (Queensland), Ben Dwarshuis (New South Wales), Jack Edwards (New South Wales), Nic Maddinson (Victoria), Kurtis Patterson (New South Wales), Josh Philippe (Western Australia), Usman Qadir (Western Australia), Gurinder Sandhu (Tasmania), Jason Sangha (New South Wales). 12th man: Tom Engelbrecht (ACT/NSW Country).

South Africa squad: Faf du Plessis (c), Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock, Reeza Hendricks, Imran Tahir, Heinrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Chris Morris, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Dale Steyn.