The WBBL Brisbane Heat could deliver a teenage debutant fast bowler tomorrow for their penultimate Weber Women’s Big Bash League match against the Sydney Thunder in Sydney.
Heat Driving To Success
With injury ruling out pace spearhead Nicola Hancock (hamstring) and star allrounder Grace Harris (hand), young pace bowlers Lily Bassingthwaighte, Bonnie Berry and Childers product Catherine White will be vying to make their WBBL debuts tomorrow night at Drummoyne Oval.
The WBBL Technical Committee today approved the inclusion of White as a Local Replacement Player (LRP) for the remaining two matches.
Under WBBL rules, once approved by the League’s Technical Committee, the LRPs must be included in the twelve on match day.
White, 18, comes into the 13-player squad in the wake of injuries to senior players Harris, Hancock and captain Jess Jonassen (shoulder).
The Sunshine Coast Scorchers right-arm quick played for Queensland Country and the Queensland Under-19 team last summer.
She was the 2024-25 recipient of the Jodie Purves Young Cricketer Development Scholarship awarded annually through the Queensland Cricket Foundation to a regional and rural female cricketer to support their cricket and education endeavours.
White, who finished Year 12 last month at St Luke’s Anglican College in Bundaberg, joins the likes of captain Charli Knott, Lucy Hamilton and Berry as former recipients of the Purves Scholarship.
Depending on the final selection at the bat flip, any of White, Bassingthwaighte and Berry would make their debuts if chosen in the starting side.
Harris needed three stitches in her hand after splitting the webbing during thumb and forefinger while fielding off her own bowling in the final over loss to the Adelaide Strikers on Sunday at North Sydney Oval.
Hancock sustained a low-grade hamstring strain while batting on Sunday.
Jonassen successfully underwent shoulder surgery yesterday and will now begin her recovery and rehabilitation program.
English leg-spinner Sarah Glenn will play her initial game of the season for the Heat tomorrow after signing as an International Replacement Player for the final two games of the tournament.
Tomorrow’s match also marks the annual Road Safety Cup WBBL game between the Heat and the Thunder.
The Road Safety Cup began in 2023 to raise awareness of road safety, as both Queensland and NSW transport authorities have a shared vision of zero road deaths by 2025, with zero being the only acceptable number of deaths attributed to the roads.
Heat wicket-keeper Georgia Redmayne will wear zero as her playing numbner tomorrow.
The Brisbane Heat and Queensland Cricket have promoted road safety messaging since 2016 as part of their long-standing partnership with Department of Transport and Main Roads and the Queensland Government road safety public education program, StreetSmarts.
The partnership includes messaging at Big Bash games, with the StreetSmarts innings Break Show a feature at home WBBL and BBL matches.
Heat fans can watch the match live on 7, 7Plus, Fox Cricket and Kayo tomorrow.
Weber Women’s Big Bash League
Brisbane Heat v Sydney Thunder
Drummoyne Oval, 6.10pm Qld time
Tomorrow
WBBL Heat Squad
88. Charli Knott (c)
22. Lily Bassingthwaighte
2. Bonnie Berry
7. Lucy Bourke
11. Sianna Ginger
3. Sarah Glenn (IRP)
5. Lucy Hamilton
48. Chinelle Henry (Int)
18. Annie O’Neil (LRP)
0. Georgia Redmayne
58. Lauren Winfield-Hill (IRP)
4. Mikayla Wrigley
98. Catherine White (LRP)