Sydney Thunder have officially wrapped up their squad for the upcoming WBBL 11 season with the signing of 18-year-old all-rounder Lucy Finn who is one of the most exciting young names in Australian women’s cricket.
She has instantly grabbed the headlines by drawing eyeballs with terrific performances across domestic and age-group cricket. Earlier this year, she was a part of the Australian U19 women’s side on their tour of Sri Lanka.
She then carried that momentum into the U19 National Championships, where she was a standout for NSW Metro. Her sensational hundred, 109 from 96 balls against Victoria Country, highlighted her growing confidence that has brought about consistency with the bat.
Her performances didn’t stop there. Turning out for St George-Sutherland in the NSW Premier Cricket competition, Finn finished among the top run-getters in Sydney’s First Grade and also contributed with the ball, taking 12 wickets over the season.
The teenager couldn’t hide her excitement after officially joining the Thunder squad. “I’m incredibly excited to be joining the Thunder squad this season,” Lucy said. “I was lucky enough to play under Lisa in the Australian U19s squad in Sri Lanka, and I’m really grateful to have the chance to keep learning from her at this next level.
“It’s pretty surreal to think I’ll be playing alongside stars like Phoebe Litchfield and Georgia Voll who’ve just come back from a World Cup. I’ve always dreamed of sharing the field with players of that caliber, and now I can’t wait to do it in the lime green and represent the Thunder Nation.”
Thunder General Manager Trent Copeland said the youngster has earned her spot after impressing in recent domestic outings.
“Lucy’s development over the past two seasons has been really exciting to watch,” said Copeland. “Lucy is so deserving of this chance. Lisa Keightley saw up close on the Australian u/19 tour of Sri Lanka just what Lucy is capable of with both bat and ball. What I was looking specifically at in the Spring Challenge wasn’t necessarily wickets or player of the match performances, what I saw was that unique combination of height, bounce, accuracy and a calm presence in some big moments.”
Sydney Thunder will kick off their WBBL 11 campaign with back-to-back matches on the road- first against Hobart Hurricanes on November 9, followed by Melbourne Renegades on November 11- before returning to Drummoyne Oval for the much-awaited Sydney Smash on November 15.
(Quotes sourced from Sydney Thunder press release)
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