With Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) 11 just around the corner, Brisbane Heat’s line-up will get a solid boost thanks to the addition of Bonnie Berry and Lucy Bourke, both 19, and 18-year-old Lily Bassingthwaighte.
Bourke brings her skills as a left-handed batter, Berry joins as a right-arm fast bowler, and Bassingthwaighte adds even more depth as both a right-arm pace bowler and a right-handed batter.
Both Berry and Bassingthwaighte have played for the Australian Under-19 squad over the past two seasons, with Bassingthwaighte also featuring in the ICC Women’s U-19 World Cup earlier this year.
Berry was signed by the Heat last season but was sidelined due to a back stress fracture. However, she’s on track for a return this summer and is set to make her comeback next week, playing for her new club Valley in the T20 Max competition.
Bourke featured in six matches during the first-ever T20 Spring Challenge last year in Heat colours before making her debut for Queensland Fire in the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL) after the WBBL season.
Bassingthwaighte made her debut for Queensland in the WNCL last season, after being part of the Heat squad as a Local Replacement Player.
Heat coach Mark Sorell said that securing the trio had been a key priority for the club. Sorel said, “They are all very coachable as well as being great athletes and outstanding talents.”
Sorell expressed the club’s excitement at the prospect of having Bonnie available for the season, noting that she has returned from injury fitter and stronger, and adding that it’s a great boost to welcome another young pace bowler into the squad.
He also highlighted Lucy as a valuable addition to the top order, offering a left-handed batting option, while also praising her outstanding fielding abilities.
Sorell also described Lily Bassingthwaighte as a player to watch, saying that while she will likely add bowling depth initially this season, she is a genuine all-rounder and an exciting prospect for Australian cricket.
The final signing will be made after the T20 Spring Challenge in October, which will serve as a lead-in competition for the WBBL. The Heat’s squad for the Spring Challenge will be selected from their current WBBL line-up, as well as standout performers from next month’s T20 Max competition.
Heat fell short in last season’s Grand Finale, losing to the Renegades at the MCG. Their year-long wait for redemption will come to an end when the two sides meet again in the opening match of WBBL-11.
The Heat will kick off WBBL-11 by hosting the defending champions, the Renegades, at Allan Border Field on Sunday, 9 November. Brisbane’s clash will be the first match in a double-header at the venue that day, followed by the Sydney Thunder taking on the Hobart Hurricanes.
The Heat had a strong run last season, winning six matches in a row to reach the Grand Final. It was the seventh consecutive year the club qualified for the Finals.
With the addition of these emerging players, the Heat will be hoping they can make a strong impact and help the club go one better this season by securing a third WBBL title. A win would see Brisbane move ahead of the Sixers, Strikers and Thunder, with whom they are currently tied on two championships each.
Brisbane Heat squad for WBBL 11 (so far):
Jess Jonassen, Lily Bassingthwaighte, Bonnie Berry, Lucy Bourke, Nadine de Klerk, Chinelle Henry, Sianna Ginger, Lucy Hamilton, Nicola Hancock, Grace Harris, Charli Knott, Grace Parsons, Georgia Redmayne, Jemimah Rodrigues
(Quotes sourced from Brisbane Heat press release)
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