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. 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