James Patrick Maher

Profile:

An attacking and wholehearted player, Jimmy Maher has been at the heart of Queensland's emergence as the strongest domestic team in Australia over the course of the last decade. A left handed batsman who began his interstate career as a middle order player before graduating to an opening role, he possesses a vast array of shots, uses delightful footwork, and is little perturbed by either spin or pace. Lightly built but a heavy hitter of the ball, he has been a consistently prolific scorer for the Bulls (and also for Glamorgan in his one season of county cricket in 2001) over recent years, and does not look far away from adding to the two fleeting one-day international appearances that he made during the 1997-98 season. He engenders sweet timing and plays shots to all sectors of the wicket. Also an excellent slip fieldsman, Maher's high degree of skill - together with his sense of humour and effervescent personality - makes him a valued presence in any dressing room. Originally from the north Queensland city of Cairns, he comes from a family well known to many of the state's sporting fans. His father, Warren, is a former Queensland Country representative and has been an office bearer with both the North Queensland Cricket Alliance and the Queensland Country Cricket Association.