Travis Birt

Travis Birt

Personal information
Full name	Travis Rodney Birt
Born	9 December 1981 (1981-12-09) Sale, Victoria, Australia
Nickname	Edgar, Turtle, Ernie
Height	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Batting style	Left-hand bat
Bowling style	Right-arm medium-fast
Role	Batsman
International information
National side	Australia
T20I debut (cap 42)	5 February 2010 v Pakistan
Last T20I	3 February 2012 v India
T20I shirt no.	81
Domestic team information
Years	Team
2003–2011	Tasmania (squad no. 81)
2006–2007	Derbyshire
2011–	Delhi Daredevils
2011–	Western Australia
2011–	Hobart Hurricanes
Career statistics
Competition	T20I	FC	List A	T20
Matches	3	84	114	54
Runs scored	14	5,112	3,182	1,182
Batting average	7.00	35.25	31.50	24.12
100s/50s	0/0	9/31	2/21	0/5
Top score	13	181	145	74
Balls bowled	–	220	91	–
Wickets	–	2	5	–
Bowling average	–	98.00	17.80	–
5 wickets in innings	0	0	0	–
10 wickets in match	–	0	n/a	n/a
Best bowling	–	1/24	2/15	–
Catches/stumpings	1/-	60/-	41/1	21/-
Source: Cricinfo, 4 February 2012

Travis Rodney Birt (born 9 December 1981 in Sale, Victoria) is an Australian cricketer, who currently plays Australian state cricket for Western Australia, and in the Indian Premier League for Delhi Daredevils. Birt is a left-handed batsman and a right-arm medium bowler who has played First class and List A cricket since 2003, for Tasmania and Derbyshire.

Early cricket career

After a standout 2005–06 season which saw him earn Australia A selection, Travis Birt has produced a couple of consistent if unexceptional seasons for Tasmania. His main problem has been an inability to turn starts into first-class centuries. In 2006–07 he was part of the Tasmania triumphant Pura Cup side and made a thoroughly respectable 736 runs at 38.73 with one hundred, and the next season he collected 565 runs at 31.38 without once reaching triple-figures. Still, he was one of five men to play every Pura Cup game for the state last summer and with the retirement of Michael Di Venuto his importance in the top order will grow. He is already a key man in the one-day setup and his calm batting in the low-scoring FR Cup final last season won the title for Tasmania. Birt top scored against Victoria with an unbeaten 37 and coolly struck the winning runs with the No. 11 Ben Hilfenhaus at the other end, to complete a strong season that brought him 355 runs at 44.37.

A heavy-hitting left-hander who enjoys blasting sixes, 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 did not feel comfortable as only Darren Lehmann and Jimmy Maher made more Pura Cup runs than Birt's 850 at 50. 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 but did not return there in 2008 and instead had hip surgery during the off-season.

International debut

On 5 February 2010, Birt made his Twenty20 International, and subsequent international debut for Australia, against Pakistan at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. He failed to make an impact, scoring only one run before being bowled by acting Pakistani captain Shoaib Malik. Birt was retained in the side for the second and final Twenty20 match at Bellerive Oval in Hobart—his home ground. However, he could only manage 13 from ten balls, as Australia completed a 2–0 sweep.

Despite being dropped for the First Twenty20 International against New Zealand in Wellington, Birt was recalled for the Second match where he did not bat. At the end of both innings' the scores were tied, before New Zealand won courtesy of a super-over, levelling the series 1–1.

Move to Western Australia

In 2011, Birt moved to Western Australia. He has also signed up to play for the Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League.

Career Highlights

In 2012, in the KFC Big Bash match between Hobart Hurricanes and Melbourne Stars, Birt scored the fastest 50 in Australian Domestic T20 Cricket. In this match, Birt struck 50 runs off 22 balls, eclipsing the mark set earlier in the same match by Luke Wright of the Melbourne Stars who scored 50 runs off 23 balls.

External links

• Travis Birt at Cricket Archive
• Travis Birt at Cricinfo