Jackson Bird

His early returns were striking. Bird collected more than 100 wickets in roughly twenty first-class matches, which persuaded the national selectors to bring him into the Test squad for a home series against Sri Lanka, with Mitchell Starc being rested. He debuted in Melbourne in 2012, little more than a year after his first-class bow. Across the final two Tests of that series he claimed 11 wickets, among them a four-wicket return in the closing match.

He travelled to England with the squad for the 2013 Ashes, but Ryan Harris and Peter Siddle were difficult to dislodge, and Bird played only once before being left out after an unremarkable outing. A recall came in 2016 for a series against New Zealand, yet standout displays proved scarce, and he did not feature for the Test side again after 2017.

In the Big Bash League, Bird began with the Melbourne Stars in 2012 before spending a couple of seasons with the Sydney Sixers from 2015/16. He went back to the Stars for the 2018/19 season only, then rejoined the Sixers for 2019/20. His domestic first-class and List A career also involved a change of state, as he moved from Tasmania to New South Wales in 2023/24.