The Teams are as follows:

ACA Johnnie Walker Four-day Team of the Year in batting order is:
Ed Cowan (TAS), Phillip Hughes (NSW), Michael Klinger (SA - vice-captain), George Bailey (TAS - Captain), Usman Khawaja (NSW), Steven Smith (NSW), Chris Hartley (QLD), John Hastings (VIC), Ben Cutting (QLD), Trent Copeland (NSW), Peter George (SA), 12th man: David Hussey (VIC)

George Bailey  has had a fantastic year in his first year as the Tigers captain and was rewarded by being made captain of both the four-day and one day teams.  He was also selected to tour with the National team in New Zealand in the absence of Michael Clarke.

In Ed Cowans  first year as a Tiger, he cemented his spot in the starting 11 with some high scores including a huge 225 against South Australia and finishing the season proper on top of the leading run scorer list for the series.

ACA Johnnie Walker One-day Team of the Year in batting order is:
Michael Klinger (SA), Phillip Jaques (NSW), Bradley Hodge (VIC - vice-captain), George Bailey (TAS - Captain), Lee Carseldine (QLD), Travis Birt (TAS), Matthew Wade (VIC), John Hastings (VIC), Xavier Doherty (TAS), Ben Cutting (QLD), Nathan Rimmington (QLD), 12th man: Daniel Christian (SA)

On top of his four-day form George Bailey also excelled in the one-day version by finishing the season as the second highest run scorer and by captaining the successful Tigers team in the Ford Ranger Cup.

Travis Birt finished the season the fifth highest run scorer with the second best average for the season.  He also made his international Twenty20 debut against  Pakistan.

Finishing the season with 20 wickets Xavier Doherty ended up with the most wickets for the Ford Ranger Cup series. 

ACA Johnnie Walker Interstate Twenty20 Team of the Year in batting order is:
Shaun Marsh (WA), David Warner (NSW), Bradley Hodge (VIC - Captain), Tim Paine (TAS), Kieron Pollard (SA), James Hopes (QLD), Chris Simpson (QLD - vice-captain), Daniel Christian (SA), Aaron Heal (WA), John Hastings (VIC), Shaun Tait (SA), 12th man Brad Knowles (WA)

Tim Paine was the sole Tiger in the Twenty20 team with a series strike rate of 207.  A solid season for Tasmania in all forms of the game.   Australian one-day representative and centurian and a match defining century in the Ford Ranger Cup final would have made this season one to remember for Paine. 

As for individual awards go, Brad Hodge won the Ford Ranger Cup Player of the Series award with 24 points followed by the Tasmanian duo of George Bailey (20) & Travis Birt (16).  Pakistani import Rana Naved was only two points off the winners of the Twenty20 Big Bash Player of the Series award which was shared between South Australian import Kieron Pollard & David Warner from New South Wales who polled 12 votes each.

George Bailey

Tasmanian Cricket captain George Bailey was chosen to replace the embattled Michael Clarke for the rest of the Chappell-Hadlee series being played in New Zealand.

Bailey who was in preparation for the Tigers last shield game of the season when he got the call up, has not played at international level but is prepared to take any opportunity with both hands.

The call up comes off the back of a terrific Ford Ranger cup season. 538 runs at an average of 59.78 which includes one century and five half centuries. Bailey’s form had a lot to do with the Tigers capturing their fourth Ford Ranger Cup championship, it was also Bailey’s first year as Captain.

George Bailey media conference on the Cricket Australia website

The timing is a little bit off for the Tasmanian as the last ODI against New Zealand will be played on Saturday the 13th of March with Bailey’s Deccan Chargers playing their first IPL game for season 2010 less than 24 hours later.

Image by addynapper

 This victory gives Tasmania four titles in Australia’s one-day domestic competition, the first being in 1978/79 and the last three being within the last six seasons.

 A lot has been said about Victoria’s missing star’s in Captain Cameron White, David Hussey and Dirk Nannes who were all on international duties but fail to recognise that Tasmania were without Brett Geeves and Ben Hilfenhouse who are both injured and Ricky Ponting who was resting from international duties.

 It has also been suggested that Victoria lost the final by dropping  Tasmania opener Michael Dighton on 9 and 42 as he went on to score 80. But no credit should be lost on The Tigers who batted and bowled brilliantly.

 Along with Michael Dighton’s 80, Tim Paine played a calculated innings by scoring a century and steering Tassies innings.  When wickets did fall Ed Cowan stepped up to carve out 61 runs from 66 balls and together with Lockyear, Kreja and Marsh managed to get the score over the 300 mark.

 On the bowling front Jason Kreja opened and was hugely economical putting pressure on the batsmen for the other bowlers to take advantage of, Gerard Denton taking the most with five.

Tassie Tigers

Catches win matches and Western Australia dropped any chance of playing in this seasons Ford Ranger Cup match, while Travis Birt secured a spot for the Tigers.
Chasing 232 for victory the Tigers were given multiple chances by the Warriors. Luke Ronchi dropped Tim Paine on eight and he went on to score a half century. Mitch Marsh dropped two catches in the outfield, but it was an unbeaten 93 by Travis Birt that steered the Tigers to victory by five wickets, with a ball to spare and gave them a Ford Ranger Cup berth.
One question remained and that was were the final was to be played and that came down to the game between Victoria and Queensland at the GABBA. The winner would host the final and if the game was washed out then Tasmania would be the host.
A bruising 136 not out by Brad Hodge sealed the win for Victoria and cementing a home final for the Bushrangers.
The final will be played this Sunday the 28th February at the MCG and will be telecast on Fox Sports 503 starting at 2pm.

Travis Birt

Birt’s inclusion came due to his heavy hitting and good performances in the Australian domestic Twenty20 competition, playing a total of 22 games at an average of 23.25 and with a strike rate of 132.48. 

Andrew Keyte wrote an article for the SportsAustralia web site stating that we are seeded below Bangledesh for the upcoming world cup and that was due to playing our one-day squad in Twenty20 matches when more enthuses should be placed on playing specialists. Tim Paine was the only Tasmanian to make his hypothetical team. 

The popularity of this form of the game has forced us to start picking specialist players. The dollars, the Indian dominance over world cricket affairs and sportsbetting will rule in the end. 

Birt has now had a chance and was dismissed for one, let hope he gets another go and makes the squad for the upcoming World cup.

The dropped catch was what Ponting needed to get some luck going his way, as he took the opportunity to turn his form and to reply to the suggestions from the media and ex-cricketers that he should retire or should bat down the order to prolong his career.  

Ponting’s test form this season on home soil has been ordinary, scoring a total of 353 runs at an average of 44 and a high score 137 not out which could be built on today.  He was also just named Player of the Decade which is voted by a jury comprising former and current players and cricket writers.

At the close of play on day one Ponting finished the day on 137 not out and shared a partnership of 231 with Michael Clarke who is 111 not out. The partnership broke Australia’s fourth-wicket record against Pakistan, set by Greg Chappell and Graham Yallop in Faisalabad 30 years ago.

Mike Gatting better known in Australia as the Englishman who was at the strikers end when Shane Warne bowled the ball of the century (See the ball of the century here on you tube) has recently stated that Ponting should retire on his terms, that he risked playing one season to many and that he needed to seriously self-evaluate his exit from the game.

I would imagine that all Englishmen would like to see Rick Ponting retire and to me retiring on your own terms would not come from pressure from the media but with consultation with family, friends & team mates.  He has speculated in this article that he would consider batting down the order if a better candidate for the number three spot was available.

Ricky Ponting

 Image:

The latest news about this match is:

Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam has dropped Kamran Akmal as wicketkeeper after a disappointing Sydney test, dropping Mike Hussey three times. Hussey went on to score an unbeaten 134.
Akmal will be replaced by Sarfraz Ahmed & did not rule out Kamran Akmal being in the squad as a specialist batsman.

Today in an effort to prove his fitness and get back into the side, Simon Katich took part in two stints of batting practise in the nets, fielding practise and also bowled his wrist spin.
After todays efforts all signs seem positive for his return, which will mean future star Phil Hughes will more than likley miss the third test, especially after out of form Marcus North has been backed in to play through his dry spell by both Captain Ricky ponting and coach Tim Nielson.

Ex Pakistani coach and former Australian pacemen Geoff Lawson has said that the Psychological impact suffered on the Pakistan team due to the dissapointment from the Sydney Test will be enough for Australia to inflict a heavy defeat on them during the third test.

Bellerive Oval

Tassie Tigers

To attract big name players to the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash, Cricket Australia gave each team an extra $50,000 and each state was allowed to recruit up to two foreign players.

Tasmania’s first player was Sri Lanka fast bowler Lasith Malinga who then pulled out due to commitments to his national side. Malinga was then replaced by England all-rounder Dimitri Mascarenhas, who then also had to withdraw due to a right knee meniscus tear.

Then with only weeks to the first KFC Twenty20 Big Bash game, David Boon (General Manager – Tasmanian Cricket Operations) recruited Rana Naved-ul-Hasan.

Rana Naved-ul-Hasan is a fast medium bowler who plays for Pakistan, Yorkshire County Cricket Club & now the Tigers in their tilt at the KFC Twenty20 big bash. He has never made huge in-roads into his national side and now holds a ‘C’ grade contract.

In Tasmania’s second game of the series, Rana (or Torana as parts of the wet area were calling him) stood up as the match winner & in doing so stamped himself as a cult hero to the Bellerive crowd.

His night started out by scoring a quick fire 47 from 27 balls in a very important partnership with Travis Birt, that gave Tasmania a defendable score of 167, after a poor start by our top order.

He then followed this up with his bowling at the death by claiming three wickets (Porter, Noffke & Doropoulos). Getting the crowd going with his excitement after every wicket, he eventually had the crowd cheering his name with every delivery. After one wicket he even sprinted within 30 meters of the packed hill to celebrate.

He was also involved in two run outs. Getting Mitch Marsh after the ball was hit back down the pitch and rebounding off his hands and the winning wicket, when in his desperation to win the ball collided with the Warrior batsman, but held it together to lob the ball over the batsman’s head to run him out.

After the game Rana said of the Bellerive crowd:

I love it very much.They are very nice guys. Nice crowd. Lovely people here. I’d be glad to come over here again, inshallah. I have no word for that. I’m very happy

Tassie Tigers

Pakistan used the game for some batting practise as they punished the Tiger bowling and were just as impressive with the ball.

Pakistan batting first in the games amassed 437 in the first innings with centuries to Salman Butt & Kamran Akmal. Not many highlight for the Tigers with the ball but Jason Kreja took three scalp but was expensive going for nearly a run a ball.

During the Tigers first innings George Bailey was the only shinning light with 50 runs as we stumbled to 193 off 68 overs. Pakistani Saeed Ajmal was the destroyer taking four wickets with his off-spin and deadly doosra.

The visitors then showed that they were not interested in winning the game and opted not to enforce the follow-on, giving their batsmen another crack out in the middle and more batting practise before the boxing day test start in five days time. Umar Akmal managed to get to 55 before the game was called off, ending in a draw.

Brady Jones

Jones was also interviewed by the ABC after the remarkable game, which can be found at ABC GrandStand Sport.

With 15 overs into the last day the warriors declared at 4 for 201 which set the Tigers the near impossible task of scoring 347 before stumps. At tea the Tigers had reached 2 for 147 which meant the Tigers would need 200 runs off the final session which consisted of 37 overs. 5.4 runs per over.

Ed Cowan proved again to be a valuable inclusion this year by scoring 153 and with good knocks from Jonathan Wells (43) and George Bailey(43), the Tigers found themselves level pegging after Jones hit a four on the second last ball.

The last ball was delayed due to Warriors paceman Brett Dorey being stretchered off the ground due to an injured hamstring he sustained from chasing the last four. This left Jones &: MacDonald a nervous five minute wait to discuss the tactic for the final ball which Jones also hit to the boundary.

The victory gives the Tigers six points and moves them to second on the ladder.