A fast bowler who moved from New South Wales to Tasmania in order to break in to first-class cricket, Jackson Bird quickly rewarded the Tigers with a remarkable debut season in 2011-12. He collected 53 Sheffield Shield wickets at an average of 16.00, topping the tournament tally, and he was a key factor in Tasmania reaching the final. Bird was also named the Sheffield Shield Player of the Year, making his decision to move south from the Manly-Warringah club in Sydney's grade competition to Tasmania appear a brilliant one. Bird does not bowl at express pace but he constantly attacks the stumps, and this accuracy combined with just enough swing and seam movement has made him a very dangerous proposition at Shield level. Bird earned an Australia A call-up for the 2012 tour of England and won a promotion to the national squad for the Boxing Day Test against Sri Lanka later the same year after starting the 2012-13 Shield season in excellent form again. He was Man of the Match in his second Test against Sri Lanka in Sydney, but played only one more Test on the 2013 Ashes tour before being dropped. However, a recall came for the 2016 Test tour of New Zealand, where the selectors believed his ability to move the ball would compensate for his lack of express pace. He struggled in the first Test in Wellington but in the second match in Christchurch he was pivotal in Australia's win, collecting five second-innings wickets and seven for the Test. Away from the game, Bird has studied a Bachelor of Business, specialising in marketing. His father keeps tabs on Bird's cricket career by watching live streaming of matches from Romania, where he works as a grip in the film industry.
Brydon Coverdale