Former South African opener Lizelle Lee has re-signed with the Tasmania Tigers for two more seasons. Retired South African power-hitter Lizelle Lee headlines the inclusions across the competition, having re-signed her first Australian state contract with Tasmania.
Lee had an imposing career with the Proteas, playing 184 matches across formats since her debut in 2013. The hard-hitting Proteas batter had four centuries in total, including one in T20Is. She had one of the finest careers for South Africa, with the third most runs in the 50-over format and being their leading run-scorer in the T20 format.
Lee relocated to Tasmania, playing for both the Hurricanes in the WBBL and the Tasmania Tigers in the Australian domestic league. Since joining the Tigers in 2022, Lizelle Lee has proven herself to be a formidable force, replicating her national side performances. In her initial season for the Tasmania Tigers, the right-handed batter announced her arrival with a swashbuckling 559 runs in the Women’s National Cricket League. Her magnificent season was followed by a stunning 348 runs in the second edition, during which the Tasmania Tigers won their second consecutive title after Lee’s joining.
Lee joins Tasmania’s squad aiming for their fourth consecutive title run in the Women’s National Cricket League (WNCL). Speaking about her extension, Lee expressed enthusiasm about continuing to contribute to Tasmania’s success.
“I am very lucky to have the opportunity to play for a team like this. Tasmania is a fantastic place to play cricket. I feel blessed to be involved with an organisation like Cricket Tasmania, and I am grateful to be playing for the Tigers for another two years,” explained Lee.
Apart from Lee, the Tasmania Tigers have also re-signed young Hayley Silver-Holmes, who moved to Tasmania in 2021 after starting her cricketing journey with New South Wales. Silver-Holmes has re-signed with the Tigers for two more seasons after an impressive outing for the Tasmania side in the WNCL. The bowling all-rounder took 12 wickets, including her best bowling figures against Western Australia, where she also scored an unbeaten 43, although it came in a losing cause as Western Australia won the match by 36 runs while defending 249.
Lauren Smith has also re-signed with the Tasmania side. She began her journey with the NSW side before moving to Tasmania last season. Her first season with the Tasmania Tigers was nothing short of perfect, picking a career-best 18 wickets and being handy with the bat on a couple of occasions, scoring 37 against Western Australia and 28 against Victoria.
With Lizelle Lee, Hayley Silver-Holmes, and Lauren Smith committed for the upcoming seasons, the Tasmania Tigers are poised for another strong performance, aiming to continue their dominance in the WNCL.