Tasmania cautious over Wright's county deal

Tasmania have urged Glamorgan not to run Damien Wright, the fast bowler, into the ground this county season. Wright managed only five Pura Cup matches this year - from a possible 11 - and two in 2005-06 after a hectic 2005 for Northamptonshire left him struggling with stress fractures in his back.

That season, he bowled more than 600 overs for the county in first-class and limited-overs fixtures. Tim Coyle, the Tasmania coach, said Wright, 31, would not be turned into a workhorse in the same way by Glamorgan.

"It is a much better setup than what it was at Northamptonshire as far as we're concerned," Coyle told Hobart's Mercury. "We've had discussions with the coach over there with what we want to see Damien do. It is very much a one-day cricket focus over there. They are going to be very mindful of his workload.

"It is not the ideal scenario but we also think it's a chance for him to get some cricket under his belt. His body is still a bit of a concern for us but our medical staff feel it is in pretty good shape.

"When he went to Northamptonshire there were all the promises of, 'Yes we will do this and do that,' but it didn't happen, and Wrighty will admit that. He got pushed into bowling more than he wanted to whereas this situation is very much about him listening to his body and playing as much cricket as it allows him to play."

Although Wright's injuries left him on the sidelines for much of the past two Pura Cup campaigns, he proved his worth in Tasmania's maiden title victory when he took eight wickets and made vital batting contributions of 67 and 47. Coyle said that performance highlighted how important a fully-fit Wright was to the Tigers.

He said Northamptonshire's limited-overs focus would help Wright bring some important skills back to Tasmania, who finished second-last in the domestic one-day cup in 2006-07. "He hasn't had a lot of work in the past couple of years and because it is a one-day focus, I think it will be a good thing for us in that we want to improve our one-day cricket," Coyle said.