In an exciting announcement for the Hobart Hurricanes fans across Australia, Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) skipper Elyse Villani, and one of Australia’s best-ever Women’s T20 batters, is continuing her career in purple.
Elyse Villani, renowned for her powerful batting, continues to shine in the domestic arena. She carved a remarkable career with the national team from 2009 to 2019, contributing significantly to Australia’s success, including the historic T20 World Cup win in 2010 and reclaiming the Ashes in 2015. Currently, playing for the Hurricanes in the WBBL, Villani’s impact extends beyond her statistics.
Villani started her Hurricanes career in WBBL|08 after playing for the Perth Scorchers and Melbourne Stars in previous seasons of the WBBL and has amassed 3403 runs from 127 WBBL matches, with a career-high score of 100 runs. As Hobart’s second-highest run-scorer in the most recent, 09 edition of the WBBL, tallying 324 runs at an average of 36 and a strike rate of 116, the 34-year-old brings invaluable experience both to the top order and as captain of the Hurricanes.
Upon signing a two-year deal at the end of last season, Villani has revitalized her career in Tasmania since moving south. She explained, “I love being on board the Cane train!
Villani has had one of the most distinguished careers in domestic women’s cricket in Australia, having the 4th most runs of all-time in the WBBL with 3403 runs, only trailing Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, and Sophie Devine. With a career-high score of 100*, and an impressive 25 WBBL fifties, Villani’s consistency has seen her be a great asset to the Hurricanes organisation, on and off the field.
Although Villani’s performances with the bat are vital for the Hurricanes, her leadership separates her from the other talented cricketers on the Hurricanes list. She empowers her teammates to be better and sets the tone for the rest of the team with her training intensity.
Last season, Villani scored the second most runs for the Hurricanes with 324 runs in 13 matches, as she led the Hurricanes to a sixth-place position, one win outside of the top four and a finals berth. Villani’s international T20 credentials are equally as impressive as her domestic statistics, in an international career spanning from 2009 through to 2018, Villani scored 1369 runs and is fifth on the total run-scorers list for Australia in all Women’s T20 Internationals.
High Performance General Manager at Cricket Tasmania, Salliann Beams discussed how important Villani has been for the organisation since she decided to sign with the Hurricanes. “On the field, to have someone with her skill and experience open the batting, have such a cool head under pressure, and lead our team, gives us every chance to have success in the coming two seasons with Elyse on our list,” said Beams.
Villani joins Nicola Carey, Heather Graham, Ruth Johnston, Hayley Silver-Holmes, Amy Smith, Lauren Smith, Molly Strano and Rachel Trenaman as Hurricanes players under contract ahead of WBBL|10.