In Tasmania's final one-day match of the season, Wright was named man of the match—despite his side being defeated by 19 runs—for his return of four wickets while conceding 23 runs, and top-scoring for Tasmania with 40 runs off 36 balls. In the remaining three Pura Cup group matches that season, he claimed six wickets, and scored 48, 55 and 13 as Tasmania drew one match and won both the others to qualify for the final against Queensland. Prior to the final, Wright was suffering with a thigh strain, and was only passed fit to play on the morning before the match. Although cleared to play, he did not open the bowling for Tasmania, instead playing as second-change bowler, and finished with figures of 1/60 and 0/39 as Queensland clinched the title by 235 runs. Wright toured South Africa in September 2002 with the Australia A side, playing three 50 over matches against South Africa A. He only managed to take one wicket during the series, that of Loots Bosman in his final match. He batted in all three matches, remaining not out on each occasion, with a 26-ball score of 24* in the first match being his highest score of the tour. The beginning of the 2002–03 season saw Wright fail to make significant impact with either bat or ball until the fifth match of the season, when he claimed three wickets in the second-innings against Queensland. He followed this up with another three wickets in the first-innings of the next match, against New South Wales, and achieved his maiden first-class five-wicket haul by taking six wickets in the second-innings of the same game. He was unable to replicate his wicket-taking form in the shorter form of the game, failing to take more than one wicket in a match until late January. Despite this, his bowling stifled the opponent batsmen; he was awarded man of the match for restricting New South Wales to just 17 runs off his ten overs in a tied match, and finished the season as the ING Cup's second most economical bowler behind Glenn McGrath, and the most economical of those who had bowled over 100 balls. In the Pura Cup, he was Tasmania's leading bowler with 31 wickets, ranking him as the seventh highest wicket-taker among all teams. At the close of the 2002–03 season, Wright was selected again to play for Australia A, as they hosted South Africa A.