Ahead of the WBBL10, Sydney Thunder made a big addition when they signed three-year contract all-around player Georgia Voll from Brisbane Heat.
Twenty-year-old Voll is one of Australia’s most highly rated hitting talents and her offspin has also made a mark.
She struggled to bat in the WBBL last season, finishing with 206 runs at 18.72 and a strike-rate of 112.56, despite her descent down the order during the competition. However, she did manage 4 for 19 against Perth Scorchers in the Challenger final, which the Heat lost to Adelaide Strikers in the final.
Nevertheless, she demonstrated her batting ability later in the season when she made two WNCL hundreds for Queensland and struck a double century in the red-ball ‘Green and Gold’ game in Adelaide.
Although Voll was approached by several WBBL teams, she said that talks with Thunder coach Lisa Keightley had influenced her choice.
“I never expected myself to play for a New South Wales team, to be honest, but after talking to Lisa and the guys down there, I’m super excited for the opportunity, and it’s a really good young group coming through,” she explained.
Lisa was very explicit about the part she wanted me to play and the things she wanted me to do, and that’s what kind of put me over the edge. Last season, the Thunder demonstrated a strong sense of teamwork and camaraderie both on and off the pitch, which I found appealing.
Georgia has demonstrated that she is a unique talent with both bat and ball since the day she stepped on the scene, said Sydney Thunder general manager Trent Copeland. Georgia is the next rising talent who will figure out how to play the Australian system. the two hundred for Australia A in red ball cricket, the two hundred for the Heat in the WBBL last season, and the all-around skills we’ve saw in them. This is a major acquisition for the team.”
In addition to losing New Zealand all-around player Amelia Kerr to the Sydney Sixers and losing coach Ashley Noffke to a job in New Zealand during the off-season, Voll’s departure marks the continuation of major changes at the Heat. They will still have a strong top order with Grace Harris, Georgia Redmayne, Laura Harris, and up-and-coming all-rounder Charli Knott, though they have added South Africa’s Nadine de Klerk to their roster for a two-year contract.
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