Photo Credit: Hobart Hurricanes
The Hobart Hurricanes are pleased to announce the re-signing of Naomi Stalenberg on a one-year contract, keeping her as a key member of the Big Bash squad for WBBL|09.
Stalenberg has made 40 appearances for the Hurricanes, bringing up her 100th WBBL appearance last season. She is one of only 26 players to have done so.
The right-handed batter didn’t shy from success beyond the WBBL last season, after winning the Kim Fazackerley Medal in Cricket Tasmania Premier League for the 2022-23 season.
She scored an impressive 414 runs with an average of 59.14 in the premier league, including a high score of 132, and a very powerful 87 runs off 38 balls.
Stalenberg also played a key role in the WNCL Final, which helped the Tasmanian Tigers secure back-to-back titles scoring 75 runs off 89 balls.
A key member of the middle order, Stalenberg finished off the 2022-23 WNCL season with 267 runs and an average of 38.14.
“Obviously it’s always an honour to play WBBL cricket and with Hobart being my home, I’m really excited to be back in the purple for another season, hopefully we can use the momentum from the backend of last season going into this season,” Stalenberg said.
“I think Jude is an exceptional operator and she’s great t holding people accountable, and I think she’ll use her experience from winning the WBBL with the Strikers last year to help us take the next step.
“Women’s sport at the moment is reaching new heights so it’s really cool for us to be driving that in the cricket space, and the WBBL is the engine for driving female participation and it’s really nice to be a part of that in the Tassie community.”
The power hitter also expressed her excitement to play with recent international signing Shabnim Ismail, citing both her professional and personal qualities as a real addition to the squad.
“It’s great to be reuniting with Shabnim, I enjoyed playing with her at the Thunder. She’s a fiery character and likes to have fun, she is exceptional with the new ball and it will be nice for us to have some express pace,” Stalenberg said.
Head Coach of the Hobart Hurricanes, Jude Coleman, spoke of how vital Stalenberg’s experience is as part of the squad.
“Naomi is a powerful hitter who can really add value throughout the middle order, we have seen in other competitions that she’s not afraid to go big when needed.”
“She’s been working really hard to expand her game during the preseason and we’re really excited to see her bring this to life in WBBL|09,” says Coleman.
“It’s exciting to see the final pieces of the squad coming together, I don’t doubt that with the list that we have that we’ll be able to go all the way this season.”
Stalenberg joins Nicola Carey, Maisy Gibson, Heather Graham, Shabnim Ismail (o/s), Ruth Johnston, Lizelle Lee (o/s), Emma Manix-Geeves, Hayley Silver-Holmes, Amy Smith, Bryony Smith (o/s), Molly Strano, Rachel Trenaman and Elyse Villani as players currently announced as contracted to the Hurricanes for WBBL|09.
The Hurricanes will get their WBBL|09 season underway on Friday 20 October, when they take on the Perth Scorchers at Launceston’s University of Tasmania Stadium.
Hobart Hurricanes memberships and tickets are on sale now! Secure your seat this Hurricane Season and become a part of the Hurricanes family by heading to hobarthurricanes.com.au
Name of Author: Hobart Hurricanes
The Hobart Hurricanes are an Australian professional men’s Twenty20 cricket team based in Hobart, Tasmania. Competing in the Big Bash League, they primarily play at Blundstone Arena and also host some matches at University of Tasmania Stadium in Launceston. The team wears a purple uniform.
