The Finisher jumps aboard the Cane Train

James Faulkner will join the Hobart Hurricanes in a T20 homecoming for the Tasmanian after seven seasons with the Melbourne Stars.

Faulkner was announced as the Hurricanes' star signing on Tuesday in Hobart, with last-season's runners up moving swiftly to replace the departing Dan Christian.

The Melbourne Renegades announced they had signed Christian on a three-year deal until BBL|10, and Faulkner has agreed similar terms with Hobart. 

“I had always hoped to return to playing all my cricket in Tasmania when the time was right,” Faulkner said.

“I really love the feeling around the team now and I’m impressed by the culture they’ve managed to build.

“I played through Cricket Tasmania’s Pathway with blokes like Bails, Dools, Wadey and Tim Paine so I’ve got fantastic memories with those guys and can’t wait to be playing in front of packed local crowds with them."

A Tasmanian one-day and Sheffield Shield player, Faulkner last played T20 cricket for Tasmania in the old state-based T20 competition that preceded the BBL. He was one of the original members of the Melbourne Stars and had been with the team since BBL|01 in the 2011-12 summer.

The allrounder played 47 matches for the Stars, scoring 556 runs with a strike rate of 109.45 and average of 26.48, while taking 45 wickets at a handy economy of 7.61 given he regularly bowls in the death overs.

He was a mainstay in Australia's limited-overs teams where calmness under pressure and late-innings heroics earned him the nickname 'The Finisher'. He starred in Australia's 2015 World Cup campaign, where he was named player of the match in the final against New Zealand. 

Since then he had been on a slide as he was hampered by a long-standing knee issue, fell out of favour with Australia's selectors, lost his national contract and was overlooked in this year's lucrative IPL auction.

Faulkner claimed recently he was "reinvigorated" and "ready to go" and will soon head to the UK for another stint in the domestic T20 competition there.

"A bit of freshening up and the body is feeling good. My knee is as good as it has ever been," Faulkner told Indian website Sportstar Live.

"I am reinvigorated and ready to go again."

Having been off the park to focus on his fitness – he has played just three Premier Cricket games in Tasmania since last summer's Big Bash ended, Faulkner will again play for Lancashire in their domestic T20 campaign in July.

"I wasn't getting any break at all. It takes a toll on your body," he said.

"It might be a blessing in disguise that I have had this time, just to get everything right … to play the game, enjoy it, and put good performances up."