Photo Credit: Cricket NSW
New South Wales have achieved one of the off-season’s biggest coups ahead of the 2023-24 WNCL summer, securing the signature of home-grown star Sarah Coyte for the next two years.
One of Australia’s most successful domestic players, Coyte is set to return to the state where her career began nearly fourteen years ago.
There have been few Australian players who have achieved greater team success, with Coyte boasting an incredible nine WNCL titles, a Women’s Cricket World Cup, Women’s T20 World Cup, and a WBBL championship.
After six straight WNCL wins with NSW (2009/10-2014/15), success followed Coyte to South Australia for a seventh title in 2015/16, before claiming back-to-back championships in 2021/22 and 2022/23 with Tasmania.
The leading wicket-taker in the WNCL last summer, Coyte collected an impressive 30 scalps (at 15.56) before capping her season with one of the most remarkable overs in WNCL history.
With South Australia requiring just four runs from the final over of the match, the right-arm quick demonstrated her composure, rattling through the opposition’s lower order and picking up three wickets in the space of six deliveries to seal victory for Tasmania.
Making her debut for NSW in 2009, the fresh-faced 18-year-old quickly cemented her place in a star-studded Breakers line-up, alongside the likes of NSW legends Lisa Sthalekar, Alex Blackwell, and Leah Poulton.
Earning an international call up in 2010 at just 19 years of age, Coyte made 81 appearances in the green and gold, collecting 100 wickets across four Tests, 30 ODI’s and 47 T20I’s.
A member of Australia’s 2013 Women’s Cricket World Cup and 2014 T20 World Cup championship sides, the 32-year-old also boasts a Big Bash trophy with the Sydney Sixers, named Player of the Final in the title-winning year.
In addition to bolstering the Breakers bowling stocks, Coyte has the ability to contribute valuable runs in the middle-lower order, as well as providing a wealth of knowledge amongst a youthful Breakers side.
Breakers head coach Gavan Twining said Coyte would bring a wealth of experience to the NSW squad.
“Sarah has been a very consistent, very successful player for a long, long time and it is exciting to see her come back to NSW,” Twining said.
“We have a pretty young bowling attack, even though a lot of our young players have played at a high level, and Sarah will provide further leadership to that group.
“As well as being a fantastic player, she is just a wonderful person and that is always a positive to bring into any group striving for success.”
Coyte will begin her second stint with the Breakers when the rest of the squad, that will be announced this week, returns from annual leave at the end of the month.
