Travis Birt

A heavy-hitting left-hander who enjoys blasting sixes, Travis Birt has been mostly seen in one-day and Twenty20 matches for Tasmania over the past couple of seasons. His success in those formats earned him a call-up into Australia's Twenty20 squad in February 2010; at the time he was averaging 55 in the FR Cup for the 2009-10 summer. Birt topped the state's one-day averages the previous season with 385 runs at 48.12 but his lack of runs at first-class level resulted in him slipping out of the Sheffield Shield side. He had been part of the Tigers' historic Pura Cup-winning team in 2006-07, when he made 736 first-class runs but the next season didn't score a century.

Birt secured a reputation for brutal strokeplay when he posted 145 against South Australia in 2004-05, the highest score in Tasmania's one-day history. He made his first-class debut in the same season but had to wait until the following year to feel at ease at the next level. Opposition bowlers didn't feel comfortable as only Darren Lehmann and Jimmy Maher made more Pura Cup runs than Birt's 850 at 50, and Australia A selection followed. New South Wales felt his impact during an innings of 160, which included seven sixes and 19 fours, and he also shared a state-record partnership of 292 for the fourth wicket with George Bailey when making 140 against South Australia. A former Academy and Australia Under-19 player who relocated from country Victoria, Birt has spent time playing with Derbyshire.
Cricinfo staff February 2010