Tigers legend Bird heads home to NSW

Jackson Bird, Tasmania's all-time leading wicket-taker in the Marsh Sheffield Shield, will finish his first-class career in his state of origin, signing a two-year contract with New South Wales. 

The 36-year-old will bring some much-needed experience to a NSW side that finished the 2022-23 season winless in the Sheffield Shield and has since lost stalwart Trent Copeland to retirement.

Unable to crack the Blues side following several strong seasons with Manly Warringah in Sydney grade cricket, Bird made the move to Tasmania in 2011 and instantly became one of the Tigers' most reliable performers. 

His 350 wickets in the Shield, at the miserly average of 21.99, places him in 10th spot on the competition's all-time wicket-takers' list and almost 100 wickets ahead of the next best Tasmanian, Ben Hilfenhaus (262).

Bird finished as Tasmania's highest wicket-taker in seven of his 12 seasons, including five of his last six summers, and the veteran admitted he was looking forward to a new challenge. 

"At this stage of my career Cricket NSW has offered me an awesome opportunity to be able to come home to Sydney and the Northern Beaches with my family," Bird said in a statement. 

"I played all my junior cricket in NSW and like any other aspiring professional in the state I wanted to pull on a Baggy Blue.

"My career took a different path and I am very grateful to Cricket Tasmania and everyone that I have played with and worked with down there for what has been an amazing experience, both professionally and personally.

"Now it's a fresh start in a place I am familiar with, and I am looking forward to being able to contribute on the field and also around the playing group. The Blues have some very talented young bowlers and I hope I can offer them some guidance if they need it."

Bird's debut season of 2011-12 brought immediate results; his 53 wickets (from only eight matches) was the most in the competition and earned him the Sheffield Shield Player of the Year award.

A Test debut followed nine months later in the Boxing Day Test against Sri Lanka.

Bird played nine Tests between 2012 and 2017 with his best performance a five-wicket haul against New Zealand in Christchurch in 2016.

New South Wales are expected to announce their contract list for the 2023-24 summer later this week.