The Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) is set to ignite the cricketing stage from October 27th to December 1st, with the excitement building after the recent overseas draft on September 1st. Among the key announcements, Brisbane Heat has made a bold statement by extending their partnership with one of Australia’s most promising talents, all-rounder Charli Knott, through to WBBL|11. She has now committed to a one-year contract extension, ensuring her stay with the team until the end of 2026.
Knott recently captained Australia A in an unofficial Test against India A on the Gold Coast, leading her team to victory. Her leadership debut capped off a remarkable preseason, which saw Knott shine in England’s domestic white-ball competitions with the Southern Vipers.
Across nine games, the skilled middle-order batter and right-arm off-spinner amassed 346 runs, averaging 49.42, and notched her first List A century. She also claimed 16 wickets, averaging 21 with an economy rate of 4.72. Knott led the player of the tournament voting in the 50-over Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy and ranked as the second-highest wicket-taker in the T20 Charlotte Edwards Cup, with 16 wickets at an average of 14.93.
Recently, Knott played a pivotal role in University of Queensland’s Premier Cricket triumph, guiding them to a six-wicket victory over Sandgate-Redcliffe in the T20 Max competition final at Allan Border Field.
Knott joined the Heat as a teenager during the WBBL|04 season in 2018-19. At the Brisbane Heat Fan Day over the weekend, Knott couldn’t hide her excitement about her future with the team, “I love playing for the Heat,” she said.
Expressing her enthusiasm about her future with Brisbane Heat, Knott highlighted the positive environment within the team and her hopes for continued success, “They’ve (Brisbane Heat) got a great program here and I love working with everyone, hopefully I can keep building a good relationship with the team moving forward. We’ve been successful for the last couple of years so hopefully we can continue to build on that success and pick up a trophy in the coming years.”
One of the highlights of the season for Knott is the opportunity to play at the iconic Gabba for the first time, with Brisbane Heat hosting a stand-alone match against the Adelaide Strikers on Saturday, November 9th. Reflecting on this milestone, Knott added, “It’s definitely super exciting to go back to the Gabba. I remember a couple years back when the last game was at the Gabba, I wasn’t even running drinks at that stage.”
“It was very exciting to be there, and I thought that one day it would be so great to play at the Gabba. I haven’t played there yet in my career so I’m definitely super excited to get an opportunity to play there. We don’t get to play many games in massive stadiums, so it is very exciting,” she reflected on the significance of the opportunity.
In her impressive career with Brisbane Heat, the 21-year-old has played 47 matches, scored 467 runs and claimed 20 wickets, with her standout bowling figures being 3 for 19.
Brisbane Heat will kick off their WBBL|10 campaign against the Strikers in the season opener on October 27th at the Adelaide Oval, a rematch of last year’s final.
Brisbane Heat squad so far:
Ellie Johnston, Jess Jonassen, Charli Knott, Shikha Pandey (India), Grace Parsons, Georgia Redmayne, Jemimah Rodrigues (India), Mikayla Wrigley, Bonnie Berry, Nadine de Klerk (South Africa), Sianna Ginger, Lucy Hamilton, Nicola Hancock, Grace Harris, and Laura Harris
