With the 2024 English domestic cricket season upon us and teams finalizing their squads, yet another familiar overseas player, notably the sixth Australian, is poised to make her mark in the competition. Queensland Fire and Brisbane Heat’s quick, Nicola Hancock, has been confirmed for a brief six-match stint with the Sunrisers. She arrives on a contract valid until May 8, 2024, making her eligible to play in the first six fixtures of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, a 50-over tournament.
Commenting on Hancock’s signing, Sunrisers Head Coach Andy Tennant remarked, “We are delighted that Nic is able to join us for the first block of Rachel Heyhoe Flint Trophy games. Nic brings a strong skill set that will bolster our seam bowling unit, as well as some great experience, and is the kind of character that we believe will help move our young playing group forward.”
During Australia’s Women’s National Cricket League in the 2023/24 season, Hancock claimed 10 wickets from 13 outings, maintaining an economy rate of 4.66. Additionally, she also chipped in with the bat lower down the order, contributing 56 runs from 5 innings at a strike rate of just over 100.
Wearing the teal of Brisbane Heats, Nicola has been a standout performer in the T20 Women’s Big Bash League, accumulating 45 wickets from 33 innings over the past couple of seasons at an economy rate of around 7.5. Her consistent performance across formats suggests that she could be a delight to watch in English conditions.
In addition to Nicola Hancock landing in a contract with the Sunrisers, Katie Mack and Georgia Voll will be joining the Thunder, while Erin Burns will spend a second consecutive summer in the United Kingdom, this time with the Northern Diamonds. Amanda-Jade Wellington will link up with Western Storm, and defending champions Southern Vipers have secured the services of all-rounder Charli Knott.
With the signing of Hancock, Sunrisers have completed their overseas quota. Led by Grace Scrivens in the One Day format, who took over as interim captain at the end of last season, the squad boasts several notable talents including Jodi Grewcock, Jo Gardner, Amara Carr, Maddy Villiers, Abtaha Maqsood, and Amu Surenkumar, among others.
Former South African skipper Dané van Niekerk will join the squad in May at the beginning of the Charlotte Edwards Cup T20 competition, assuming the captaincy role she took over at the end of last year’s campaign.
The Sunrisers secured a respectable 4th place in the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy (RHFT) but ended up at the bottom of the table in the Charlotte Edwards (CE) Cup in 2023. As they look ahead to the upcoming season, the team aims for improved performance. The RHFT games are set to commence on April 20 and will break for the CE Cup, scheduled from May 18.