Tasmania has as many players featuring in county cricket as any other state, with the trio of Peter Siddle, Jackson Bird and Ben McDermott all signing deals.
Key points:
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Three Tasmanians have signed contracts with English clubs for the 2021 winter
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Jackson Bird becomes the latest Australian to join a county, signing with Lancashire
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Ben McDermott is happy to know “there’s a few blokes” in the team who can also score runs
Last night Bird became the latest Tasmanian to sign a county contract, and is set to play at Old Trafford for Lancashire this Australian winter.
The 34-year-old veteran fast bowler will be vying for a spot in Australia’s squad for the next Ashes tour in England.
Bird has enjoyed a successful summer for the Tigers across both red and white-ball formats, currently sitting fourth in the wicket-taking leaderboard in the Sheffield Shield.
AP: Tertius Pickard
)Bird said in a statement on the club’s website that he had “unfinished business in English county cricket”.
“I am looking forward to showing my best to my new teammates and the members and supporters at Emirates Old Trafford,” he said.
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Bird has previously played for Hampshire and Nottinghamshire and has been a standout performer in domestic red-ball cricket, having claimed over 400 wickets at an average below 25.
He will be joined in the county championship by another veteran fast bowler, Peter Siddle, who made the move to the Apple Isle this summer in search of further domestic cricket opportunities.
Siddle, 36, has re-signed with Essex for 2021, having his contract deferred last year due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.
He will feature in the Division One competition, with Essex having won titles in two consecutive seasons.
Siddle has now retired from Test cricket after a career spanning 67 matches, with the right-armer claiming over 200 wickets.
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Recently selected international batsman and Hobart Hurricanes skipper Ben McDermott is the youngest of the Tassie trio embarking on his county journey.
The 26-year-old was signed by central county Derbyshire for the summer, in a white-ball-only contract, which will see him feature in One Day Cup and Vitality Blast Twenty20 fixtures.
McDermott has banged down the door this summer, earning selection in Australia’s recent tour of New Zealand, for which he was sidelined with a hamstring injury.
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The Tiger returned to domestic cricket yesterday, striking a well-compiled 64 against a strong Blues attack.
McDermott told media that international selection was not the sole purpose of his move to the UK.
“I don’t want to think about international cricket too much”, McDermott said.
McDermott also provides Derbyshire with a wicket-keeping option, a role he filled for the Hurricanes in Matthew Wade’s absence this summer.
McDermott added that he was looking forward to being a part of a strong batting line-up.
Queensland will also have a trio of players featuring in the UK competion, with Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser and Billy Stanlake all set to enjoy a stint in the English summer.
The other Australians set to take part in the UK 2021 summer include Dan Worrall (Gloucestershire), Peter Handscomb and Mitch Marsh (Middlesex), Marcus Harris (Leicestershire) and Travis Head (Sussex).