The Melbourne Stars have signed the Victorian duo of Hasrat Gill and Olivia Henry ahead of the 10th edition of the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL).
Olivia Henry, a middle-order batter from Victoria, will play her third consecutive season with the Melbourne Stars. The right-handed batter has featured in one match each in the eighth and ninth editions of the Women’s Big Bash League, respectively.
On the other hand, 18-year-old Hasrat Gill was part of the Melbourne Stars squad in the eighth edition of the Women’s Big Bash League but is yet to make her debut for the side. Gill has already delivered impressive performances for Australia U-19, emerging as the leading wicket-taker in a tri-series involving Sri Lanka and England, taking six wickets and contributing 48 runs with the bat in April 2024. She was recently selected for Australia’s U-19 squad in a tri-series involving New Zealand and Sri Lanka.
General Manager Blair Crouch reflected on the significant progress made by Hasrat Gill and Olivia Henry under Cricket Victoria’s High-Performance T20 Program, emphasizing the positive trajectory both players have shown in their development.
“Both Hasrat and Olivia are part of our new High-Performance T20 Program at Cricket Victoria, and it’s great to see the improvements they have both made in their game,” stated Blair Crouch.
Crouch also highlighted the potential of these young cricketers, stressing that their youth provides a valuable advantage—time to grow and develop in the sport. He emphasized that being surrounded by seasoned players, including their skipper Meg Lanning and Marizanne Kapp, will provide exceptional learning opportunities during the tournament.
“Being so young, both players have time on their side and hopefully a long career ahead of them. They’ll learn an incredible amount from being surrounded by the experience of players like Lanning, Sutherland, Garth, and Kapp.”
The Meg Lanning-led Melbourne Stars will begin their campaign against the Perth Scorchers in the opening game at the WACA on October 27.
(Quotes sourced from Melbourne Stars media release)