Test opener Ed Cowan and Australian T20 captain George Bailey have become Tasmania’s first signings in the state contracting window that opened last week.

The pair controversially missed out on Cricket Australia (CA) contracts but have signed two-year deals with the Tigers.

Bailey is in England with the Australian one-day squad, while Cowan leaves on Sunday to captain Australia A on their tour of Britain.

The contracting window opened on Friday after CA announced its 2012-13 list.

The Tigers say they will announce more signings in coming days amid reports that mainstays Luke Butterworth, James Faulkner and Tim Paine are being courted by rival states.

“It is a competitive market now and we have had significant requests from other states to talk to our players,” Tasmanian coach Tim Coyle told The Mercury newspaper.

“That is expected – it is part of this business now.”