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| Tigers focus on improving their form this season |
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This is the first of a regular overview of the Tasmanian cricket season from within the Tasmanian Tigers’ camp by one of its own, fast bowling recruit, Tim MacDonald. By TIM MacDONALD* ON the eve of the first Pura Cup game of the season for the Tasmanian Tigers in Queensland, everyone is talking about back-to-back and defence of our title. These are words that you won’t hear uttered from our players or coaching staff. All the talk from inside of the Tigers’ lair focuses on ‘improvement’, and the core of the pre-season has been structured around this word. From cold July morning runs along the beaches of Howrah and Bellerive, to sprinting up the Barnbougle Dunes with laser skirmish rifles in hand, all energy has been geared toward bettering ourselves for the year ahead. Last season’s star Tasmanian batsman Michael Di Venuto spoke about the new season ahead and the challenges it will bring at the TCA season launch last month. He said that for years we had been hunting for a Pura Cup title, and by reaching that pinnacle last season we now become ‘the hunted’. “Every other team in the competition will be chasing us, and trying harder to beat us. This is why we have to continue to improve to be successful this season,” Di Venuto said. It may be hard to improve on winning a Pura Cup, but there are two other competitions that the Tigers were not as successful in last year. The Ford Ranger Cup competition was a disappointing one for Tassie, finishing second from the bottom with only four wins. This has resulted in a major focus on improving our one-day cricket over the off season and the realistic goal of being in the position to also push for this title. Helping to make this goal achievable is the fact that Tasmania won the title only three years ago in 2004/05, and 10 of those 12 players are still in the squad today. This year, the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash will also be about more than just a fun day out of big hitting, fast-paced action, with the incentive for finalists being raised well beyond anything Australian domestic cricket has seen before. This season the two teams that play off in the final also qualify for a champions league tournament featuring teams from India, England and South Africa, with a $US5 million prize pool on offer. With half of that going to the winner, and $US250,000 for each of the other teams competing it makes the five games that Tasmania plays this season, all the more important. There are two KFC Twenty20 Big Bash games at Bellerive Oval on January 4 and 6. Support for your team should never be underestimated. We hope that the public will support Tasmanian and Australian cricket this summer at Bellerive Oval, and head down for what is building to be the most exciting summer of cricket that Tassie has ever seen. *Tim MacDonald is Tasmanian cricket’s fast bowling recruit
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