The son of a Test cricket legend, Alister McDermott is a chip off the old block of his famous father Craig. Sporting the same red hair and bowling style as his dad, McDermott quickly rose through the ranks of Queensland cricket, earning his first state contract while still in high school.
He made his first-class debut against no less than the West Indies in 2009, before he played a role in Australia's Under-19 World Cup victory in New Zealand in 2010.
The right-armer dominated state cricket in 2011-12, finishing the Ryobi Cup as leading wicket-taker and also topping the wicket-taking lists for the Bulls in their successful Shield campaign, and for the Heat in the Big Bash League.
He was rewarded with selection for Australia A and also toured the UAE with the Australian ODI squad.