Photo Credit: Adelaide Strikers
Exciting Glenelg pair Anesu Mushangwe and Ella Wilson have been added to the Adelaide Strikers’ squad ahead of Weber WBBL|08.
Zimbabwean Mushangwe has been a force in SACA Premier Cricket since arriving in Australia in 2019.
The 26-year-old was named in the 2021-22 Premier Cricket Women’s Team of the Year after another outstanding season as captain of the Seahorses. Mushangwe was Glenelg’s leading wicket-taker in both the Women’s First-Grade and T20 competitions, and was also the club’s top T20 run-scorer.
Resuming international duties with Zimbabwe after a three-year hiatus, the right-arm leg-spinner was her country’s top wicket-taker in the Capricorn Women’s Tri-Series in April to lead Zimbabwe to a series victory over Namibia and Uganda.
Mushangwe has 33 wickets at a miserly economy of just 3.1 across her 21 T20I appearances.
Teen sensation Wilson is a fiery fast bowler and middle-order batter who was called into the Strikers’ squad early last season as a replacement player.
Wilson earned the Shelley Nitschke Medal as the most outstanding player of SACA’s T20 Cup in 2019-20 as a 16-year-old and has since become a regular match-winner for Glenelg.
The right-arm quick was captain of South Australia’s Under-19 squad at this year’s National Championships where she claimed a stunning four-wicket haul from just six overs in the win over Vic Country.
The exciting prospect was duly rewarded with her first state contract with the SA Scorpions for the 2022-23 summer.
Strikers Assistant Coach Jude Coleman said both players were strong additions to Adelaide’s squad.
“We are excited to welcome Ella back for WBBL|08 after she had a taste of the WBBL last year,” Coleman said.
“Ella is an exciting young, talented all-rounder who bowls with good pace and swing and can also take the game on with the bat. Ella is also one of the best fielders I have seen come out of a youth program for many years.”
“Anesu has been rewarded for some very consistent Premier Cricket performances over the past couple of seasons.
“She is a leg-spinner who is very well-suited to T20 cricket. A different kind of leg-spinner to Amanda-Jade Wellington, I think she will challenge the best batters in the competition.”
Mushangwe said she was thrilled to join the Strikers for her first WBBL campaign.
“I am very grateful for this opportunity, it is a dream come true to be a part of the squad,” she said.
“I am very excited to see how things go this season. I will be playing with and against some of the best players in the world and it will be great to see where I am at with my game.”
Ella Wilson shared fond memories from her stint with the squad as a replacement player last summer.
“I am really pumped to be in the squad this season. I had a great experience being involved with the team in Tasmania last year as a replacement player,” she said.
“I am super proud to be brought back this year to play with and against the best in the world.”
The Strikers begin their Weber WBBL|08 season in just over a month against the Sydney Sixers in Mackay on Saturday 15 October.
