Photo Credit: Melbourne Renegades
The Melbourne Renegades have boosted its batting stocks ahead of WBBL|10 with capped Australian batter Naomi Stalenberg joining the club.
Stalenberg, formerly of the Hurricanes and Thunder, arrives at the Gades on the two-year-deal and adds a wealth of experience and batting power to a group vying for Big Bash success.
The 30-year-old said she couldn’t wait to join the playing group and grasp the new opportunity with both hands.
“I’m really looking forward to joining the Gades and play alongside some new and former teammates,” Stalenberg said of Hayley Matthew and Tayla Vlaeminck.
“It’s an exciting squad with some young talent and some experienced players across all disciplines so there’s no reason we can’t challenge for finals and even go all the way.
“It’s inspiring to have two senior Australian players back on the park too in Sophie (Molineux) and Tayla while I’m excited to see who joins us from the international draft.”
Stalenberg, who’s played in all nine seasons of the WBBL, has been a prolific run scorer and consistent performer across her 122 matches.
She’s amassed 1443 runs across her nine seasons, including a standout campaign in her debut season where she quickly made a name for herself as one of the fastest run scorers in the competition.
She scored 160 runs that season but it was her aggression and big hitting through the middle order – at a 150.94 strike rate – which was the most impressive and caught the eye of national selectors.
Stalenberg forced her way into the 13-player Aussie squad for the 2015/16 T20I series against India, earning a debut in the final game of the series in Adelaide.
Melbourne Renegades’ WBBL|10 Squad (to date):
Emma de Broughe, Sarah Coyte, Josie Dooley, Nicole Faltum, Ella Hayward, Milly Illingworth, Hayley Matthews, Sophie Molineux, Georgia Prestwidge, Naomi Stalenberg, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham, Courtney Webb
General Manager, James Rosengarten, said Stalenberg provides firepower and flexibility in the squad’s batting lineup.
“We want the ability to keep the run rate high and scoreboard ticking over, especially through the middle periods in games where games can be won or lost,” he said.
“Naomi has shown over a long period of time a capacity to bat through those situations while maintaining her trademark aggression and intent. She’s also an established top-order batter and that gives us options to mix the order if or when required.”
The Melbourne Renegades will now look to the September’s draft to add the finishing touches to its Season 10 squad, where the Gades hold picks 3, 11, 22, and 27.
