Quick Answer
Ben McDermott is an Australian wicketkeeper-batter who plays for Tasmania and Hobart Hurricanes, and represented Australia in 5 ODIs and 25 T20Is between 2018 and 2023, including an ODI century against Pakistan in 2022. He is the son of legendary Australian fast bowler Craig McDermott, but broke from the family tradition to become a genuine white ball batting specialist instead. In the BBL specifically, he has scored 3,104 runs in 115 matches, and is the only player in the competition’s history with three centuries to his name.
His career is really a story about explosive batting taking him around the entire cricket world. McDermott has played franchise cricket in Australia, England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and beyond, built almost entirely on the reputation of one unforgettable innings, a match-winning 114 off 52 balls that helped chase down what was then the highest total in BBL history. This article covers his full biography and every major number from his career, including a specific look at his BBL record. You can follow all the latest cricket news and player coverage on CRIC INFO 365.
Ben McDermott: Full Biography at a Glance
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Benjamin Reginald McDermott (Ben McDermott) |
| Born | 12 December 1994, Caboolture, Queensland, Australia |
| Age | 31 |
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) |
| Weight | Not publicly confirmed |
| Batting Style | Right-handed |
| Bowling Style | Right-arm medium |
| Playing Role | Opening batter and occasional wicketkeeper |
| Family | Son of former Test fast bowler Craig McDermott; brother of former state bowler Alister McDermott |
| T20I Debut | 22 October 2018, vs UAE (cap 93) |
| ODI Debut | 20 June 2021, vs West Indies (cap 232) |
Teams Ben McDermott Has Played For
| Team | Format / League | Years |
|---|---|---|
| Brisbane Heat | Big Bash League (BBL) | 2013/14 |
| Queensland | First-Class / List A | 2014/15, 2023/24 to 2024/25 |
| Melbourne Renegades | Big Bash League (BBL) | 2015/16 |
| Tasmania | First-Class / List A | 2015/16 to 2022/23, 2025/26 to present |
| Hobart Hurricanes | Big Bash League (BBL) | 2016/17 to present |
| Derbyshire | County cricket (England) | 2021 |
| Hampshire | County cricket / T20 Blast (England) | 2022 to 2024 |
| Dambulla Aura | Lanka Premier League (Sri Lanka) | 2023 |
| Karachi Kings | Pakistan Super League (PSL) | 2025 |
| Lancashire | County cricket (England) | 2026 |
| Australia | ODI, T20I | 2018 to 2023 |
Ben McDermott was born in Caboolture, Queensland, and raised on the Gold Coast. Beyond the teams listed above, he has also featured for franchises including Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League, Quetta Gladiators in the PSL, and London Spirit in The Hundred, making him one of the most well travelled Australian batters in franchise cricket today.
Who Is Ben McDermott and How Did His Career Start?
Benjamin Reginald McDermott (Ben McDermott) was born on 12 December 1994 in Caboolture, Queensland. He bats right-handed at the top of the order and keeps wicket on occasion, while bowling right-arm medium only in rare circumstances.
He comes from genuine cricketing royalty. His father, Craig McDermott, took 291 Test wickets for Australia across a legendary fast bowling career, and his older brother Alister McDermott also played First-Class cricket for Queensland as a bowler. According to ESPNcricinfo’s profile of his career, Ben deliberately broke from that family tradition, choosing not to follow the fast bowling path of his father and brother, and instead building his name as a specialist batter.
His BBL debut came in the 2013-14 season for Brisbane Heat, where he scored 30 against Adelaide Strikers in his very first match. His early red ball career was tougher, with a difficult Sheffield Shield debut that produced scores of 0 and 2, including being the second wicket in a hat-trick taken by Chadd Sayers at Adelaide Oval. After a brief stint with Melbourne Renegades in BBL|05, he signed a rookie deal with Tasmania in 2015, a move that would soon change the direction of his entire career.
What Was Ben McDermott’s Breakthrough BBL Moment?
This is the single innings that defines his career, and it deserves telling in full. In BBL|06, playing for Hobart Hurricanes against Melbourne Renegades at Etihad Stadium, McDermott smashed a match-winning 114 off just 52 balls, powering Hurricanes to a remarkable chase of the Renegades’ total of 222, which had been the highest total in BBL history at that point. According to cricket.com.au’s account of that innings, that same season also produced his maiden First-Class century, for his new side Tasmania, meaning both his white ball and red ball careers reached a genuine turning point in the same summer.
That form was enough to earn him a run in Australia’s T20 and ODI sides. He struggled initially to find his feet at international T20I level, but the promise was clearly there, and it eventually paid off in the 50 over format too.
What Happened During Ben McDermott’s International Career?
McDermott made his T20I debut on 22 October 2018 against UAE, and his ODI debut followed on 20 June 2021 against West Indies. His standout international moment came in 2022, when he scored an ODI century against Pakistan, a genuine highlight given how difficult touring Pakistan can be for visiting batters.
His last international appearance for Australia came in December 2023, in a T20I against India, and he has not added to his cap tally since. His international career currently spans 2018 to 2023 according to his official playing record, a period that produced real highlights, including that century, without ever becoming a fully settled, long term fixture in Australia’s white ball sides.
How Has Ben McDermott’s Domestic Career Developed Since Then?
Away from the international stage, McDermott has continued to be one of the most destructive batters in Australian domestic white ball cricket. He returned to Queensland ahead of the 2023-24 season, before moving back to Tasmania again for 2025-26, a genuine back and forth journey between the two states that have shaped his career.
His BBL numbers tell their own story. He is closing in on becoming Hobart Hurricanes’ all-time leading run scorer, needing only 160 more runs in a single BBL season to reach that milestone at the time it was last reported, and he already holds a record no other player in BBL history can claim, the only batter to have scored three centuries in the competition.
Why Has Ben McDermott Played in So Many Different Leagues?
Few Australian batters have built a career as genuinely global as McDermott’s. Beyond his long standing home at Hobart Hurricanes, he has represented Derbyshire and Hampshire in English county and T20 Blast cricket, Dambulla Aura in Sri Lanka’s Lanka Premier League, Karachi Kings in the Pakistan Super League, and further franchises including Guyana Amazon Warriors, Quetta Gladiators, and London Spirit across the Caribbean Premier League, PSL, and The Hundred respectively. That range of leagues reflects just how in demand his explosive top order batting has been with franchises well beyond Australia.
What Records and Honours Does Ben McDermott Hold?
- Only player in BBL history with three centuries, a record no other batter in the competition has matched
- Match-winning 114 off 52 balls in BBL|06, chasing down what was then the highest total in BBL history
- ODI century against Pakistan in 2022, his standout moment in Australian colours
- Approaching Hobart Hurricanes’ all-time leading run scorer record, needing only a small tally more to reach the milestone
- Represented Australia in both white ball international formats, earning 25 T20I caps and 5 ODI caps between 2018 and 2023
- Franchise cricket career spanning six or more countries, including Australia, England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Caribbean
What Do Ben McDermott’s Full Career Numbers Look Like?
The figures below are taken from his most recent official career statistics.
Batting and Fielding Record
| Format / Competition | Matches | Innings | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50s | Catches | Stumpings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ODI | 5 | 5 | 223 | 104 | 44.60 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| T20I | 25 | 23 | 342 | 54 | 18.00 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 0 |
| First-Class (FC) | 71 | 125 | 3,614 | 146* | 32.26 | 3 | 24 | 61 | 0 |
| List A | 59 | 57 | 2,164 | 143 | 38.64 | 6 | 13 | 43 | 0 |
| T20 (Leagues & Domestic Overall) | 236 | 224 | 5,800 | 127 | 29.44 | 3 | 34 | 114 | 12 |
| Under 19 (Youth ODIs) | 22 | 21 | 503 | 96 | 25.17 | 0 | 3 | 19 | 2 |
Bowling Record
| Format / Competition | Matches | Innings | Wickets | Best Bowling | Average | Economy | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ODI | 5 | – | 0 | – | – | – | – |
| T20I | 25 | – | 0 | – | – | – | – |
| First-Class (FC) | 71 | 3 | 0 | – | – | 4.80 | – |
| List A | 59 | – | 0 | – | – | – | – |
| T20 (Leagues & Domestic Overall) | 236 | 10 | 0 | – | – | 11.00 | – |
| Under 19 (Youth ODIs) | 22 | – | 0 | – | – | – | – |
McDermott’s bowling record confirms what his profile already says clearly, he is a specialist top order batter and occasional wicketkeeper, with his medium pace used only in rare, low pressure situations rather than as a genuine bowling option.
What Does Ben McDermott’s BBL Record Look Like Separately?
The T20 (Leagues & Domestic Overall) row in the full stats table combines his BBL career with his appearances in the T20 Blast, PSL, and CPL. Based on figures from ESPNcricinfo, CricketArchive, and cross-checked against AdvanceCricket’s BBL career tracker, here is his BBL only record in the same format used elsewhere in this article.
| Matches | Innings | Runs | Highest Score | Average | 100s | 50s | Catches | Stumpings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 115 | – | 3,104 | 127 | ~34.57 | 3 | ~18 | – | – |
A note on this table, Matches, Runs, Highest Score, and 100s are firmly confirmed and consistent across multiple sources. Average and 50s are shown as approximate, since third party trackers place them at 34.57 and either 17 or 18 depending on the snapshot date used. Innings, Catches, and Stumpings specific to BBL cricket alone were not available as separately confirmed figures in the sources checked, since most trackers report his fielding numbers combined across every T20 league rather than split out by competition. For a fully current, match by match breakdown, his live profile on ESPNcricinfo is the best place to check.
His BBL highest score of 127 came in a genuinely historic spell of form. In December 2021, he became the first player in BBL history to score back to back centuries, an unbeaten 110 against Adelaide Strikers followed just two days later by that 127 against Melbourne Renegades, a run that also made him the first Hurricane ever to reach three BBL centuries and earned him the BBL|11 Player of the Tournament award, with 577 runs at an average of 48.08 across that single season.
FAQs
Has Ben McDermott played international cricket for Australia?
Yes. He played 25 T20Is and 5 ODIs for Australia between 2018 and 2023, including an ODI century against Pakistan in 2022, though he has not added to that tally since December 2023.
Is Ben McDermott related to Craig McDermott?
Yes. He is the son of former Australian Test fast bowler Craig McDermott, who took 291 Test wickets, and the younger brother of former Queensland bowler Alister McDermott.
What is Ben McDermott’s height and weight?
He stands at 1.83 metres, or 6 feet 0 inches. His weight has not been publicly confirmed in available sources.
What is Ben McDermott’s BBL record?
3,104 runs from 115 matches, and he is the only player in BBL history to score three centuries in the competition.
What is Ben McDermott’s most famous cricket innings?
His 114 off 52 balls for Hobart Hurricanes against Melbourne Renegades in BBL|06, which helped chase down what was then the highest total in BBL history.
Which overseas T20 leagues has Ben McDermott played in?
He has played in England for Derbyshire and Hampshire, in Sri Lanka for Dambulla Aura, in Pakistan for Karachi Kings, and has also featured in the Caribbean Premier League and The Hundred.
Does Ben McDermott bowl in professional cricket?
Rarely. His official record shows zero wickets across every format, confirming he is used purely as a specialist batter and occasional wicketkeeper.
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