In a bid to play more first-class cricket and boost his chances of selection for the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka, left-arm orthodox Test spinner Matthew Kuhnemann has left Queensland and is set to join Tasmania. Kuhnemann, 27, played three Tests for Australia last year on the tour of India, where he took 5 for 16 in Australia’s sole victory in Indore. However, since then, he has not played a single Sheffield Shield match for Queensland, with the Bulls preferring legspinner Mitchell Swepson as their No.1 spinner. Kuhnemann’s move to Tasmania is aimed at securing more opportunities in red-ball cricket, where he will become their No.1 spinner in both Shield and Marsh Cup cricket.
On the other hand, former Test opener Joe Burns has not been offered a contract by Queensland after being left out of both the Shield and Marsh Cup sides last summer. Despite being the Bulls’ leading run-scorer through the first seven games of the season, averaging 37.16, Queensland decided to blood some young batters in the second half of the season when they fell out of Shield final contention. Burns, who has played 23 Tests for Australia and made four Test hundreds, is also out of contract at the Melbourne Stars.
Queensland have also made changes to their squad, promoting opener Angus Lovell onto the contract list after making his Shield debut last summer and playing four matches. They have also signed four of Australia’s Under-19 World Cup winners for next season, including Under-19 World Cup-winning captain Hugh Weibgen and promising quick Callum Vidler, who have received full contracts. Fellow Australia Under-19 squad members Lachlan Aitken and Tom Straker have been handed rookie deals.
Queensland are still searching for a new coach after parting ways with Wade Seccombe last month. The revamped Queensland squad for the 2024-25 season includes a mix of experienced players and promising youngsters as they look to build a competitive team for the upcoming season.
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