Brisbane Heat veteran Jess Jonassen will miss the entire Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) 12 season as the tournament approaches. The 33-year-old is the Heat’s most-capped women’s player. Her latest injury follows a shoulder problem that affected her previous campaign. Jonassen last played professionally for Queensland Fire against NSW on October 1 in the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL). She is expected to miss the season and hopes to return to state cricket again in 2027.
This is the second year in a row that injury has disrupted Jonassen’s season. In WBBL 11, she missed four matches after shoulder surgery. She had tried to keep playing while managing the injury, but eventually it became too much and affected her own and the team’s performances. She also explained that the situation had an impact on her mental health. This time, the advice was to take time to recover rather than attempt to play through another injury.
“Last year I was managing a shoulder injury and tried to play through until it got too much for me and was having an effect on both my own and the team’s performances, as well as my mental health,’’ Jonassen said.
“We considered whether playing through injury was available again, but the advice was to have this period of recovery now, so I can be available of the rest of the season. The plan is to be back training in December and be ready to play again in our next WNCL fixture.”
Jonassen became Brisbane Heat captain in 2020, taking over from Kirby Short. During her time in charge, she led the club to five consecutive finals series. The 153-game Big Bash veteran announced in March that she was stepping down as captain of both Brisbane Heat and Queensland Fire. That decision followed the Heat’s winless WBBL 11 campaign. Her time with the club has made her central to its women’s team.
The left-arm spinner also holds a record across the Big Bash. She has taken 184 wickets, the most in the history of the men’s and women’s competitions combined. Her experience and performances have made her one of the tournament’s established players. However, the hip complaint means she will not be available for the Heat during WBBL 12. Her immediate focus is recovery, with December set as the target to return to training.
Jonassen’s absence leaves Brisbane Heat without its most-capped women’s player for the upcoming season. She is expected to miss the full WBBL 12 campaign, after already dealing with shoulder surgery during WBBL 11. The former captain has said she plans to return to training in December and be ready for Queensland Fire’s next WNCL fixture. Her longer-term hope is to return to state cricket in 2027. For now, recovery is the priority, following the advice she received about her hip injury.
WBBL 12 opens Thursday with a double-header at Junction Oval in Melbourne. Melbourne Renegades meet Sydney Thunder before Melbourne Stars host Hobart Hurricanes under lights. Jonassen will miss the opening day and the season. The Heat’s former captain is following the recovery plan, with December training and the next WNCL fixture identified as return targets. Her 184-wicket record remains the Big Bash benchmark. She hopes to be ready for state cricket in 2027, after this season’s recovery period.
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