Photo Credit: Adelaide Strikers
Strikers fans can lock in at least three more years of searing pace and joyous fielding efforts, with prodigious talent Darcie Brown penning a three-year contract extension to remain in hometown Adelaide.
Last summer, a 17-year-old Brown remarkably debuted in Strikers blue, Scorpions red and Australian gold, and while the current cricket season has so far delivered unseasonable cold, Kapunda-born Brown has been hotter than almost any other player in the country.
Speaking from Adelaide Oval today, Darcie touched on her excitement to continue in blue.
“I’ve been a big supporter of the Strikers ever since the BBL started, so be able to sign on is pretty cool; I have had so much fun the last few years. I’ve loved every minute of being a part of the Strikers and I can’t wait for more.”
Just yesterday named in the Weber WBBL|07 Team of the Tournament, and set to light up Adelaide Oval tomorrow night in the Eliminator against Brisbane Heat, Darcie Brown is already struggling to reduce the word count on her cricketing resume.
When Brown took the field last weekend, it was not her first time on the Adelaide Oval surface, with the teenager revealing a cheeky moment from several years ago.
“I can’t believe we are actually playing there, its been a dream since I was younger. I remember coming onto the oval for photos in Under-12’s and stealing the grass, putting in my pocket so I could grow some at home. I forgot about it and it went through the wash.”
Brown entered the history books this season when she dismissed Brisbane Heat’s Georgia Redmayne, Ellie Johnston and Laura Kimmince on successive deliveries to claim the first hat-trick by a female Striker, and just the sixth in the WBBL canon.
With 15 wickets to her name, including an historic hat-trick in Launceston, Brown has triumphed over some of the best batters in the world in recent weeks, with the likes of Ellyse Perry, Ash Gardner, Rachel Priest and Georgia Redmayne all in the WBBL|07 scrapbook.
Add to that a baggy green hanging in the wardrobe following a Test match debut against India in September, and the simple matter of becoming the youngest Australian to take four wickets in a One-Day International, and it becomes clear that even the sky may not be the limit for Brown.
The speedster’s signature is a great boost for the Strikers on the eve of finals, with the side having already secured several crucial players on long-term deals heading into the season. With skipper Tahlia McGrath and Amanda-Jade Wellington also named in the Team of the Tournament, plus prolific run-scorers Katie Mack, Laura Wolvaardt and Dané van Niekerk all possessing an ability to win a game off their own bat, the Strikers will head into a huge finals campaign full of confidence.
The Strikers next challenge is the Eliminator, an all-or-nothing final against Brisbane Heat at Adelaide Oval on Wednesday evening, beginning at 6.40pm. The winner earns the right to face Melbourne Renegades at the same venue the following night, with Perth Scorchers awaiting the side who emerges victorious from the three-way playoff.
Tickets are available now, with adults just $10 and children $5, and fans also able to follow on the Seven Network, ABC Sport, Foxtel and Kayo Sports.
