Photo Credit: Perth Scorchers
Perth Scorchers wish to congratulate title-winning Weber Women’s Big Bash League Head Coach Shelley Nitschke on her appointment as Head Coach of the Australia Women’s team.
Perth is thrilled to confirm Nitschke will again lead the Scorchers in WBBL|08 before focusing solely on Australian duties thereafter.Nitschke, who first took the reins of Perth in 2020-21, was pivotal to the Club winning its maiden WBBL championship against Adelaide Strikers in front of a record crowd at Optus Stadium last November.
Perth’s players have thrived in the calm and inclusive environment created by Nitschke, reaching the WBBL|06 semi-finals and finishing atop the ladder in WBBL|07.
Her two years at Perth have yielded 16 wins from 26 completed games – the best win-loss ratio of any WBBL team in the same period.
As Australia Women’s Interim Head Coach, Nitschke guided the national team to gold during the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.
Reflecting on what her new role with Australia would mean for the Scorchers, Nitschke said:
“While the opportunity to coach Australia is an exciting one, I’m still incredibly motivated to help Perth win another WBBL title.
“We’ve built a special culture together over the past two seasons, and the whole organisation is driven to achieve sustained success. Being part of that journey is certainly something I’ll continue to cherish.
“For now, there’s work to be done. I’m excited to join the players in Perth next month and can’t wait to get stuck into WBBL|08.”
Perth Scorchers General Manager – High Performance Kade Harvey said:
“We’ve been lucky to have someone of Shelley’s calibre with us since WBBL|06, and we’re thrilled she’ll be coaching our team again this season.
“She has brought an incredible amount to our organisation in the short time she’s been here, nurturing a culture that has allowed all our WBBL players to thrive.
“I’m excited to see what she and the players are able to achieve during WBBL|08, and have no doubt she’ll excel with the Australia Women’s national team.
“We are thankful to Cricket Australia National Teams for their collaborative approach in working through the transition of Shelley’s role, allowing her to be Perth Scorchers’ Head Coach for the upcoming WBBL season.”
