Australian white-ball quick will suit up for adopted state in Wednesday’s home One-Day Cup final on Wednesday
Nathan Ellis didn’t plan on being around for Wednesday’s One-Day Cup final, but now that he is, he’s hoping to “repay the faith” Tasmania have shown in him throughout his career.
It’s been almost 13 years since Tasmania’s men last tasted championship success (with the 2012-13 and 2010-11 Sheffield Shield titles) and even longer since they lifted the One-Day Cup (2009-10), now named the Dean Jones Trophy in honour of the revolutionary one-day batter at state and international level.
While Tasmania’s women won a hat-trick of one-day titles from 2021-22 to 2023-24, and Hobart Hurricanes men their maiden BBL crown in January last year, ultimate success has eluded the state’s men’s side for more than a decade.
Despite the Hurricanes being a strong force in the Big Bash with six finals appearances in the past nine seasons, Tasmania haven’t played off in a One-Day Cup final since 2018 when they lost to Victoria.
They’ve also fallen short in two Shield finals during that period, losing to Queensland in 2017-18 and Western Australia in 2023-24.
It’s something Ellis is hoping to change when he makes a rare appearance for the Tigers in Wednesday’s One-Day Cup final against NSW at Bellerive Oval (beginning at 2.05pm).
“Every year you’re trying to make the finals and now that we’re here, you start to look at the history books,” Ellis said.
“It’s been well over 12 years since we’ve had (any) silverware so it’s a chance to win another trophy.
“It’s a chance to play in a big game for the first time for some of these guys but also a chance for guys who’ve been there in the past, so it’s exciting.”
Initially, Ellis was hoping to still be in India this weekend trying to win a T20 World Cup, but consecutive losses to Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka resulted in Australia being eliminated at the group stage for the first time in almost 17 years at an ICC event.
The right-arm quick took career-best international figures in their opening match of the campaign with 4-12 against Ireland, before finishing with 1-14 against Oman in Australia’s only wins for the tournament.
Their early exit has opened the door for Australia’s top T20 players to turn out for their states ahead of various franchise commitments in overseas T20 leagues, with Ellis to join Indian Premier League side Chennai Super Kings for the 2026 season following Wednesday’s decider.
Spinner Matthew Kuhnemann and veteran wicketkeeper Matthew Wade are also back in the mix for Tasmania, while Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis and Adam Zampa are available for NSW for the final.
“It’s special to play for Cricket Tas in a big game; I think I owe a lot to Cricket Tas,” said Ellis, who was born and raised in Sydney before to moving to Tasmania as a 22-year-old in 2017 to chase greater opportunity.
“I haven’t played a lot for Tassie in the past three to four years, so while I didn’t plan on being here for (the final) and I planned to be in India winning a World Cup, I’m here now and I’m keen to put my hand up and to repay the faith in Tassie and try and win some silverware for an organisation and a state that I hold very dear to my heart.”
Despite dropping their past two games to WA and NSW last month, Tasmania have been the dominant side throughout this summer’s 50-over competition, locking up hosting rights of the final in November after winning their first five matches.
Ellis played in two of those prior to KFC BBL|15, taking three wickets in their remarkable comeback victory over NSW to open the season in September before adding another two wickets to help beat South Australia in November, the result that gave them an unassailable lead at the top of the standings.
“Big games in any format are what you play for, and we’ve been a strong team throughout the tournament,” the Hurricanes captain said.
“We’ve had to dip into our depth as well, which is something that shows a sign of a strong squad.
“It speaks volumes of the organisation to get everyone up, fit and firing for this time of year. It’s a bit of a spanner in the works with me coming back, which probably wasn’t planned, but it’s a good problem to have and hopefully we can pick a winning XI.”
One-Day Cup 2025-26
Final: Tasmania v NSW, Bellerive Oval, February 11 (2.05pm AEDT)
Team
Matches played
M
Wins
W
Losses
L
Ties
T
No results
N/R
Net Run Rate
NRR
Deductions
Ded.
Batting Bonus
Bat
Total points
PTS
1
TAS
7
5
2
0
0
0.33
0
2
22
2
NSW
7
4
3
0
0
0.765
0
3
19
3
QLD
7
4
3
0
0
0.607
0
2
18
4
WA
7
4
3
0
0
0.127
0.5
2
17.5
5
SA
7
2
5
0
0
-0.911
0
2
10
6
VIC
7
2
5
0
0
-0.916
0
0
8
Legend
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
Bat: Batting Bonus
PTS: Total points
