Photo Credit: Brisbane Heat
The Brisbane Heat have landed a gold medal recruiting move with young stars Grace Parsons and Lucy Hamilton on board for the next two years of the Weber Women’s Big Bash League.
Parsons, 20, and Hamilton, 18, have agreed to new two-year deals to tie them to the Heat until 2026.
Parsons, originally from Lismore in northern NSW, missed last year’s WBBL due to a shoulder injury, but returned successfully to be a part of the Queensland Fire’s charge to the Women’s National Cricket League Final
The rising leg-spinner is set to make her Australia ‘A’ debut next month against India ‘A’ after impressing at the end of last season in the three-day “Green v Gold’ red-ball match.
She has been named in the T20, One Day and Four-Day squads that will play matches at Allan Border Field in Brisbane, Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay and at Bill Pippen Oval on the Gold Coast.
Parsons was player of the year for the Queensland Fire in the 2022-23 season and took 20 wickets last season to be the WNCL’s leading wicket-taker coming into the Final.
Hamilton, who made her Heat debut as a 16-year-old, is completing her final year of schooling in Bundaberg.
The left-arm fast bowler toured Sri Lanka with the Australian Under-19 team in April after finishing the season in the Queensland Fire WNCL Final’s team.
The Sri Lankan tour included a tri-series with England Under-19 with Hamilton taking seven wickets in five games and scoring two half centuries. She was also a member of the Australian Under-19 team that competed at the inaugural ICC Under-19 Women’s Youth Cup in South Africa in January 2023.
New Brisbane Heat coach Mark Sorell said the duo brought a keen and energetic presence to the squad and were key recruits.
“They deliver some specific skills to the group, as well as setting a high standard with their hard work in training,’’ he said.
“It’s been very fulfilling seeing both Grace and Lucy transform from promising youngsters into increasingly assured players who have a lot to offer the Heat, and hopefully Australia, in the future,’’ he said.
Sorell, a former Australian Women’s coach, earmarked Parsons and Hamilton as the type of players who could be at their peak as the all-conquering National team prepares for a new challenge in the future.
“There’s obviously a long way to go but watching the Olympics at the moment and thinking ahead to cricket’s possible inclusion for the LA Games in 2028, and it is easy to wonder at what our first Olympic women’s cricket team could look like.
“Leg-spinners and left-arm quicks are certainly the types of players you would like to have in your squads, so that would be in the back of my mind as we get closer to such an event taking place,’’ Sorell said.
With the signing of Hamilton and Parsons, the Heat has filled 13 spots on its 15-player roster ahead of the International Player Draft on 1 September.
Sorell said the club was well advanced with its planning for the Draft.
“We’ve narrowed down the types of skill sets we are looking for and are in the process of identifying the players who could nominate in those areas to help us with our decision-making.
“It’s a World Cup year and so there will be some players who will be peaking at the right time for us to consider,’’ he said.
Following the Draft Lottery, the Heat will have seventh pick in the opening round for Platinum level players, 15th pick in the Platinum-Gold band and then the 18th pick in the Gold-Silver band, with a fourth pick available in the Silver-Bronze category in the 31st position if applicable.
Clubs may select up to four overseas players in the Draft. This is inclusive of any pre-signed, multi-year international player – these players must be allocated to a Draft pick during the event, commensurate with the player’s salary band.
The fourth player selected becomes the club’s first overseas replacement player.
The Heat has already signed South African allrounder Nadine de Klerk to a two-year contract under the new multi-year contract provisions that were introduced to the Big Bash for the coming season.
WBBL|10 Brisbane Heat squad (to date): Bonnie Berry, Nadine de Klerk (Int), Sianna Ginger, Lucy Hamilton, Nicola Hancock, Grace Harris, Laura Harris, Ellie Johnston, Jess Jonassen, Charli Knott, Grace Parsons, Georgia Redmayne, Mikayla Wrigley.
