Tigers say they can cover for Faulkner
TASMANIAN Tigers coach Adam Griffith is confident his side has the talent to overcome the loss of star all- rounder James Faulkner for today’s opening JLT Cup clash with Victoria at Riverway Stadium.
Faulkner has been ruled out of Tasmania’s one- day matches in Townsville this week after suffering a calf injury during Lancashire’s T20 Blast semifinal at Edgbaston last Saturday.
The 28- year- old is known as “The Finisher” for his cool head under pressure in ODIs for Australia, including his man of the match performance in the 2015 World Cup final.
Faulkner has returned to Hobart for his recovery, with paceman Gurinder Sandhu called into the Tigers squad after making the move from New South Wales during the off- season.
Griffith was unsure how long Faulkner would be out for, but he believed Tasmania’s talent- laden squad including former Test players George Bailey and Matthew Wade would get the job done.
“We haven’t had him ( Faulkner) for the last few months anyway while he’s been in England so it’s a blow to us, but we’re really confident in the guys that we’ll bring in,” the coach said.
“It’s been a really hard selection for us bringing this squad up here and leaving really talented players out so it just gives someone else an opportunity to come in.”
Tasmania has been training on turf wickets since the start of winter with their purposebuilt marquee at Blundstone Arena, but that innovation has also left them short of match practice.
The domestic one- day series has a different format this season with all six teams qualifying for the finals and Wade believes that will give the Tigers a chance to tinker with their line- up.
“It’s pretty important at this time of year that you worry about what you’re doing rather than the opposition so much,” Wade said. “We played one practice game in Brisbane just before we came up here so we know a little bit about what the ball will do and our game plan and our structure.
“All the teams in this competition are strong. It’s about getting out of the blocks quickly and making sure your matchwinners are there when the whips are cracking.”
Victoria bowling coach Mick Lewis declared the Tigers red- hot favourites for today’s clash at Riverway Stadium, but Griffith said their focus was more on getting back to match conditions.
“Just playing cricket is a real bonus for us,” he said.
“We’ve had turf nets up which has been excellent for what we’ve tried to do over the preseason, but nothing compares to actually competing out in the middle so we’re looking forward to doing that.”
Play gets underway at Riverway Stadium today from 10am. Entry is free.