The final piece of the Hobart Hurricanes BBL|15 squad has been confirmed, with talented left-handed batter Tim Ward joining the ‘Canes for the upcoming season.
Ward, who was signed as an injury replacement player during the backend of BBL|14, has now secured his first full-season BBL contract, a one-year deal with the Purple Army.
He’s pumped to be joining the reigning champions.
“I’m really excited to be signing on for my first season in the BBL and to join an incredible Hurricanes squad.
“I can’t wait to get to work and contribute as we push for back-to-back BBL titles too!” said Ward.
After moving to Tasmania at the start of the 2020-21 season on a rookie deal with the Tigers, Ward has been one of the most consistent performers for the state in the red-ball format since making his debut in 2021.
He has scored 2,722 runs in 44 matches at an average of 35.35, continuing to dominate bowlers around the country after winning the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year in 2022 and representing Australia ‘A’ in 2023.
Ward will provide valuable batting depth for the Hurricanes and could feature early in the tournament, with both Jake Weatherald and Beau Webster committed to the Australian Test side.
He also impressed at the Top End T20 for the Hurricanes earlier this year, averaging 37.00 with the bat and recording the second-highest strike rate of the tournament 174.11 from his six innings.
Hobart Hurricanes BBL|15 Head Coach Jeff Vaughan, who has worked closely with Ward over the past few seasons, is looking forward to seeing what he can deliver in purple.
Tim has been continuing to improve as a cricketer in the past few seasons, and we’ve seen how dynamic his batting has become, especially what he was able to do at the Top End T20 in Darwin earlier this year.
“We view him as someone with significant potential in the shorter format of the game, and there will be opportunities for him throughout BBL|15.
“He can score quickly through a variety of different ways, provides a left-handed option in the top and middle order, and is a safe pair of hands in the field,” stated Vaughan.
Ward joins Rehan Ahmed (O/S), Marcus Bean, Jackson Bird, Iain Carlisle, Nikhil Chaudhary, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Rishad Hossain (O/S), Chris Jordan (O/S), Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Mitch Owen, Billy Stanlake, Matt Wade, Jake Weatherald, Beau Webster, and Mac Wright under contract ahead of BBL|15, with the full squad now locked in.
Hurricanes memberships are on sale now, and the Hobart Hurricanes WBBL|11 squad is locked in ahead of the WBBL Grand Final this Saturday.
The Hurricanes’ BBL|15 season will get underway in just under a week with a huge Grand Final rematch against the Sydney Thunder on Tuesday, 16 December.