Cricket Tasmania has announced a squad of 23 players that will represent the Tigers in the 2021-22 Marsh Sheffield Shield and Marsh One-Day Cup competitions.

After finishing fourth in the standings of both competitions in the 2020-21 season, the Tigers have been able to keep the majority of the squad together, after a particularly positive back-half of the season. Two new additions to bolster the squad for the 2021-22 season, however, are Brad Hope and Nivethan Radhakrishnan.

Hailing from Western Australia, 21-year-old Hope is described as a handy allrounder. Having been a rookie with Western Australia for the past two seasons, Hope made his first-class debut against New South Wales in Sydney in February 2019. Last season he elevated his game even further, earning the Olly Cooley Medal for the WA Premier Cricket player of the season. For the season, Hope took 46 wickets and amassed 979 across both the First Grade and T20 competitions, in a haul that included eight half centuries.

Radhakrishnan joins the Tigers on a rookie contract from Sydney. The 18-year-old is not only an allrounder, but he also bowls finger spin – with both arms. Radhakrishnan – the only known ambidextrous cricketer coming through the Australian pathway– has been a part of underage squads and teams both at a state but also a national level since Under 13s, and certainly has the talent to become a star not just for Tasmanian cricket, but on the international stage as well.

Australian Test captain, Tim Paine, will once again be a member of the Tigers squad as a Cricket Australia contracted player, whilst Gabe Bell, Jackson Bird, Caleb Jewell, Sam Rainbird, Jordan Silk, Charlie Wakim, Tim Ward and Beau Webster have all inked new deals.  Jarrod Freeman and Iain Carlisle have also both re-signed on rookie contracts.

The 2020-21 David Boon Medallist – awarded to the Tigers’ player of the season in the Sheffield Shield competition – Jake Doran, has also signed a contract extension, which will see him remain a Tiger until at least 2025.

Outgoing members of the squad include Alex Doolan, who announced his retirement in April, as well as Alex Pyecroft and Tom Rogers, and rookies Keegan Oates and Jack White, who were not offered new contracts.

Head coach of the Tigers male program, Jeff Vaughan, said it was shaping up to be another exciting season for Tasmanian cricket.

“It’s a really great group of players we’ve been building here at the Tigers.  We were really pleased –  particularly with the second half of the season – last year; there were some really great team and individual performances, which were really exciting to see.

“We were fighting for spots in finals right up until the end, and ended up missing out on the Shield final by just three points, and with the one-day competition, we were in the hunt there almost right until the end, with it coming down to that final game, so we don’t feel we need to drastically change our personnel or our processes – it’s just about fine tuning a few bits of pieces and continuing to put in the work.

“Brad and Nivvi are both really exciting young cricketers, and we are thrilled that they are coming to join the Tigers program and progress their careers here in Tasmania.”

The majority of the Tigers squad have re-convened in Tasmania this week following their leave period, to begin their pre-season program.

In: Brad Hope, Nivethan Radhakrishnan

Out: Alex Doolan, Keegan Oates, Alex Pyecroft, Tom Rogers, Jack White

Squad: Tom Andrews, Gabe Bell, Jackson Bird, Jake Doran, Nathan Ellis, Brad Hope, Caleb Jewell, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Lawrence Neil-Smith, Tim Paine (CA contracted player), Sam Rainbird, Peter Siddle, Jordan Silk, Mac Wright, Matthew Wade, Charlie Wakim, Tim Ward, Beau Webster.

Rookies: Mitch Owen, Nivethan Radhakrishnan, Iain Carlisle, Jarrod Freeman.

Statement – Andrew Gaggin, Cricket Tasmania Chairman, 16 June 2021

Keith Bradshaw

On behalf of the Cricket Tasmania Board, staff, and the entire Tasmanian cricket community, I would like to acknowledge the incredible contribution that Keith Bradshaw, the current Chief Executive of the South Australian Cricket Association (SACA), has made to date to our game. Today, SACA have announced that Keith will be taking an indefinite period of sick leave, as he continues his ongoing battle with multiple myeloma; a battle he has been fighting for 13 years.

Born and bred in Hobart, Keith represented Tasmania on 25 occasions at the first-class level, and also spent a season abroad in England with Sussex, as well as made countless contributions at club level.

Following his career on the field, Keith went on to have an even more decorated career as an administrator. Most notably, Keith was appointed as Secretary and Chief Executive of the world’s first and most famous cricket club, the Marylebone Cricket Club in London, in January 2006, a position he held until 2011, when he elected to return to Australia. Keith was then named in his current role as the Chief Executive of SACA in November of that same year.

With the announcement that Keith is taking indefinite sick leave from SACA as of today, all Tasmanian cricket supporters would like to thank not only him but also his family for the sacrifices they have made for the betterment and continual development of our game, and wish him well with his treatment.