The 21-year old indigenous player grew up in the Furneaux Group, where there were no competitive cricket teams, before honing his talents as a fast bowler at Launceston.

Impressive performances in the NTCA and Tasmania earned Lees a spot on the Tigers' rookie list in 2013-14 and, after some promising Futures League appearances, he was a surprise inclusion in the first team squad for the national tournament to be played in Sydney from October 5-25.

Chairman of selectors Michael Farrell said Lees and Australian under-19 captain Jake Doran merited their call-ups.

``Ryan Lees has been rewarded with selection due to strong performances in various games throughout the preseason, and we are delighted with the form of our newly recruited player Jake Doran,’’ Farrell said.

Lees told The Examiner last year that he had been made extremely welcome at Bellerive.

``It's been great and I've learnt a lot which has helped me improve my cricket,’’ he said.

``My bowling has improved immensely since I first started, as I've been able to learn a lot from having a lot of talented teammates and coaches.

``Everyone here has been a great role model for me, but players like Luke Butterworth, Jackson Bird and Ben Hilfenhaus, I have been able to learn a lot about bowling from them.’’