A left-arm spinner who is at his best in limited-overs cricket, Xavier Doherty has generally been Australia's first-choice slow bowler in the ODI outfit since he took four wickets on debut against Sri Lanka in November 2010. That was also the month that Doherty was handed a baggy green for the first time and he struggled for impact in the two Ashes Tests he played at the Gabba and Adelaide Oval, collecting three wickets for 306 runs. It was nearly two and a half years until he was given another chance at Test cricket, on Australia's disastrous tour of India in early 2013, and again his lack of penetration was notable. In Hyderabad and Mohali he took a combined 4 for 242 and while he often bowled tight, he pitched the ball too full and imparted too little turn to be a true Test weapon. In one-day internationals his results have been stronger and the Australians missed him at the 2011 World Cup on the subcontinent, when a back injury kept him from touring. A steady, accurate and intelligent bowler who knows his game well, Doherty has been part of the domestic scene in Australia for more than a decade.

Big things were expected of Doherty after he starred at the Under-19 World Cup and was given a Tasmanian debut at 19 in 2001-02. Consistent impact in the Pura Cup and Sheffield Shield has eluded him, although in the three seasons from 2009-10 to 2011-12 he accumulated 53 wickets at 26.45 and he was part of Tasmania's winning side in the 2010-11 final against New South Wales. Doherty has also featured in four one-day domestic finals, including the Tasmanian victories in 2004-05, 2007-08 and 2009-10; he was unlucky not to be Man of the Match in the second of those triumphs when he collected 4 for 18 in a one-wicket win over Victoria. His solid form across all formats in 2009-10 won him the Ricky Ponting Medal as Tasmania's Player of the Year and he also added the state's One-Day Player of the Year title to his honour roll that season, having also earned that prize in 2006-07 and 2007-08.
Brydon Coverdale