Tasmania's Sheffield Shield pace attack is up with the very best

Stalwart Jackson Bird and star recruit Peter Siddle have been joined by excitement machines Riley Meredith and Nathan Ellis, along with Gabe Bell and Sam Rainbird in the 16-man squad heading to South Australia ahead of Saturday's clash with Queensland, with the first block of Sheffield Shield matches this summer to be played in that state.

It's a list of names that has Test skipper Tim Paine, who will lead the Tigers in the first couple of matches while Matthew Wade spends time with family at home, saying it is the best bowling group for the state he has seen in terms of "top end quality" and reminds of him of a very positive moment indeed in Tasmanian cricket.

"We've had some exceptional bowlers come through and the last time we had something close to this was when we won the Shield [in 2006-07] with [Ben] Hilfenhuaus, [Damien] Wright and [Adam] Griffith and that was the last time we probably had that relentless, three, four and five deep fast bowlers,'' he said.

Being part of that group has also added a level of excitement for new Tiger Siddle having seen his new teammates up close in the pre-season, although the 67 Test veteran did admit on Tuesday he would be letting Bird have the first over, as he prepares for his Tasmanian debut.

The 35-year-old also said he had found some positives in the different build-up to this summer.

"As much as I hate not playing cricket, COVID has probably been a good thing, especially for the older guys it has probably helped us with a bit of longevity for the future having that breather,'' he said.

"It means I haven't gone over to England and I've had about six months off, so the body is feeling really good and I'll guess I will know more once I get into some cricket, but I'm looking forward to pulling on the Tigers cap and getting out there."

Paine, who has recovered from some hamstring worries, believed that self-belief and confidence gained from the back end of last summer would hopefully play a part at the start of this campaign, starting against the Bulls.

Coach Jeff Vaughan confirmed players can be brought in from outside the squad and that the schedule would not be an issue considering one-day tournaments and early road trips of previous summers.