ADAM SMITH RATES THE TIGERS OF 2017-18

TASMANIAN captain George Bailey could not be prouder of his team for never waving the white flag despite having conditions stacked against it for the entirety of the Sheffield Shield final.

The Tigers arrived at Allan Border Field yesterday morning clinging to hope of producing a miracle.

And for 26 overs Tigers pair Jordan Silk and Alex Doolan provided a glimmer of hope until the Brisbane weather closed in to deliver the final nail.

And while left knowing there were just 32 overs remaining to take 10 wickets — only 21 had fallen in the three previous days — following a four-hour delay, Bailey said the side still refused to concede to a dominant Queensland outfit, which eventually can- tered to a nine-wicket victory. “Not disappointed at all, proud of the way we fought out the season, proud of the way we played this game and even just the conversations around how can we win, how can we push, how can we look to force an unlikely result,” Bailey said after the defeat.

“Certainly not disappointed, the old cliche of only controlling what you can control, we rocked up, we got sun- burnt on day one but couldn’t play, which was out of our hands. Really happy with how we played the game.

“It was always going to be unlikely this morning, but Jordan and Alex were giving us every opportunity to put a 200-plus target on the board and a few more overs, you never know.”

Despite falling at the final hurdle, the season will be considered a huge success given the turnaround from the past two, which resulted in consecutive wooden spoons.

And with the younger players leading the charge, the building blocks are in place for sustained success.

“Really proud of the season, and the season that individuals have had, but more importantly the growth of the side in general and for Cricket Tasmania as an organisation,” Bailey said.