Maddinson, Ahmed win state contracts

Three members of Victoria's successful JLT One-Day Cup team have been upgraded to full contracts, the state announced today.

Batter Nic Maddinson, leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed and fast bowler Andrew Fekete have each earned contract upgrades and join Victoria's 26-man squad for the 2018-19 season.

Maddinson was cut by Cricket NSW at the end of last summer and opted to head south and try his luck in Victoria's Premier Cricket competition in hope of earning a JLT Cup call-up.

The left-hander's move paid off as he was selected by Victoria and played in all eight matches, scoring two half-centuries and bagging 4-29 in the semi-final against Western Australia.

Like Maddinson, Ahmed was overlooked by his state at the start of the summer but was handed an opportunity midway through the JLT Cup.

The veteran's accuracy and deception proved a vital asset for the Victorians, who also added former Tigers quick Fekete to their roster for the 50-over competition.

A player must feature in four matches before they can be given an upgraded contract, which Maddinson and Ahmed did in the JLT Cup, while Fekete achieved the requirement once he was named in Victoria's ongoing JLT Sheffield Shield match in Perth.

Victoria wielded the axe in May, cutting eight players from last summer including Ahmed, Dan Christian, James Muirhead, Blake Thomson, Guy Walker, Jackson Koop and Tom O’Donnell, while allrounder John Hastings retired.

The new-look Victorians, who also shed the 'Bushrangers' nickname in the off-season, couldn't have started the summer better by winning silverware at the first possible opportunity.

"We were pleasantly surprised when Nic Maddinson decided to pursue his career in Victoria and he proved an incredible addition to the JLT One-Day squad, performing strongly with bat and ball across the whole tournament," said Cricket Victoria General Manager Cricket, Shaun Graf.

"We are pleased to see Fawad Ahmed return to our list of contracted players. He had a big impact late in the JLT Cup and in helping us secure the title.

"Andrew Fekete has been around the squad all pre-season having moved back to Melbourne after a successful few years in Tasmania, and is another welcome addition to our squad.

"We welcome all three players onto full contracts and look forward to the impact they may have if given opportunities to represent the Vics for the season ahead."

2018-19 Victorian Men's Squad

CA contracts: Aaron Finch, Peter Handscomb, Glenn Maxwell

Full contracts: Fawad Ahmed, Scott Boland, Jackson Coleman, Xavier Crone, Travis Dean, Aaron Finch, Andrew Fekete, Sebastian Gotch, Sam Grimwade, Peter Handscomb, Sam Harper, Marcus Harris, Mackenzie Harvey, Jon Holland, Nic Maddinson, Glenn Maxwell, Tom O’Connell, James Pattinson, Will Pucovski, Jake Reed, Matthew Short, Peter Siddle, Will Sutherland, Chris Tremain, Eamonn Vines, Cameron White

Rookie contracts: Wes Agar, Zak Evans, Jonathan Merlo, Edward Newman, Mitch Perry, Patrick Rowe