Stafanie Taylor, Lauren Winfield sign with Adelaide Strikers

Stafanie Taylor and Lauren Winfield will occupy the third and final overseas spot in the Adelaide Strikers squad for the fifth season of the Women’s Big Bash League in Australia. While the West Indies skipper will be available for the first two and last two matches of the season (plus finals day), Winfield will join the squad to strengthen the batting line-up in her absence.



“Stafanie and Lauren are welcome additions to the Strikers and will add significant depth to our batting and bowling ranks,” Tim Nielsen, South Australia Cricket Association general manager, high performance, said, following the announcement on Thursday (September 26).



“Both have impressive playing histories and we’re thrilled to attract international players of such high calibre to Adelaide; it really speaks volumes of the environment that we’ve created here.”



“Both players have significant leadership experience that will be valued on and off the field, particularly in continuing to develop some of our younger local players.”



Taylor makes the move to Strikers having been part of the Sydney Thunder squad since the first season of the league. She has played 58 matches for the former champions and became only the fourth player from the club to surpass the 1000 run-mark in the WBBL.



One of the world’s leading allrounders, Taylor had a wonderful tournament last season, compiling 212 runs at an average of 35.33, and also picking up 19 wickets— the most for Thunder— at an economy of 6.92. More recently, she scored 205 runs from just six matches for Southern Vipers in the Women’s Cricket Super League in England.



The 28-year-old is West Indies’ highest run-scorer in both formats, having collected 4561 runs in 123 ODIs and 2900 runs in 100 T20Is. She also has a combined tally of 224 international wickets to her name.



“I’m very much excited about WBBL (this year), especially in a new environment,” said Taylor. “I don’t know much about the team, but I am mostly looking forward to playing alongside Suzie (Bates) and Sophie (Devine). And my favourite colour is blue!”



Lauren Winfield. ©Getty Images



Taylor’s replacement during the league phase, Winfield, also has experience playing in the WBBL. She has spent two seasons at Brisbane Heat and one with Hobart Hurricanes.



The England batter has played over 70 internationals, scoring 514 runs in T20Is at a strike rate of 112.22. In her team’s horrendous 2019 Ashes campaign at home, the right-hander finished as England’s highest scorer in the T20I-leg of the series, averaging 35.50 in just three matches.



Most recently, she captained Yorkshire Diamonds in the WCSL, where she opened the batting alongside Alyssa Healy. She scored a match winning half-century in the early stages of the competition before fading off slightly.



“Adelaide has always looked like a club with a fantastic culture, both in the women’s and the men’s,” Winfield said. “It will certainly be nice to play alongside Megan Schutt rather than having to face her hooping in-swingers!”



“Joining a new team is always exciting and I can't wait to get stuck in. I just hope to score as many runs as I can, contribute to the group and ensure we make finals.”



Strikers begin their WBBL campaign against Melbourne Renegades at the  Karen Rolton Oval in Adelaide on October 19.