Photo Credit: Hobart Hurricanes
The Hobart Hurricanes are thrilled to announce that opening batter, Ben McDermott, has signed a contract extension with the club, which will see him remain in purple until at least 2026.
McDermott – who still has one year left on his current deal – signed a two-year contract extension during the League’s first-ever retention week, which will extend his overall tenure with the club to span at least a decade.
McDermott is one of the country’s premier top-order batters, having so far featured in nine editions of the Big Bash League (BBL); the last seven of those with the Hurricanes. McDermott’s form in purple has been prolific, amassing 2,296 runs at an average strike rate of 139.07 in his 82 appearances for the club thus far. Throughout this time, he has thrilled fans with 110 sixes, 12 half centuries, and three centuries – including when he made history by becoming the first player to score back-to-back tons in consecutive matches during BBL|11.
Not only is McDermott revered as a domestic talent, but his is renowned for his white ball game the world over, having previously also played in The Hundred in the UK and SA20 in South Africa, as well as having represented Australia in 23 Twenty20 Internationals to date. Currently, McDermott is once again plying his trade for the Hampshire Hawks in the UK’s Vitality Blast.
McDermott’s commitment to the Hurricanes is great news for Tasmanian cricket fans. After eight years living in Tasmania and being a part of the Tasmanian Tigers program, McDermott elected not to renew his state contract ahead of the 2023-24 domestic season, and return to his state of birth – Queensland – with his young family.
“I haven’t spoken a whole lot publicly about it, but it was genuinely a really difficult decision to make,” McDermott revealed.
“Ultimately, family comes before everything, which I know everyone down in Tassie was really understanding and supportive of, but it was a really hard decision given how long I was down there, how much I grew as a cricketer during my time in that program, and the fact that a lot of the guys I played with for all of those years are some of my best mates.
“The fact that competitions like the Big Bash allow players to move around a little bit is perfect for me – there’s a lot of similarity between the Tigers and Hurricanes squads, so I’m rapt that I will still have the opportunity to play with a lot of those guys and spend some quality time down in Tassie over the next few years.
“Plus, on-field, I really believe we have a great team that can make history for the Hurricanes. We had pretty much all of the ingredients last year, and things just didn’t quite go our way when it counted. With a couple of tweaks here and there, I’m really excited about what we can achieve not just in BBL|13, but beyond that as well.”
In more good news for Hurricanes fans, memberships for the upcoming 2023-24 Big Bash season have been released for sale from this morning, marking an important milestone as we tick down the days to the WBBL season beginning on October 19 and the BBL season beginning on December 7.
Once again, Hurricanes members will be treated to a world-class sporting experience in Tasmania this summer, as some of the world’s best cricketers descend on our state to compete in one of the most reputable Twenty20 Leagues.
With six different membership packages available – ranging from members having the option to reserve a seat for the entire season, to cheering on the Hurricanes from the various general admission areas, such as Blundstone Arena’s famous hill – Hurricanes memberships are an affordable option for all types of fans, with prices starting from as little as $60 for an adult membership.
For more information, including how sign up to become a member of #TasmaniasTeam, head to hobarthurricanes.com.au/membership.
Fixtures for the upcoming seasons will be released in the coming week, starting with the BBL schedule this Thursday (July 6.)
