Cricket Tasmania announced a 16-member squad for the 2021-22 season on Monday (May 10). Elyse Villani and Molly Strano, who had moved out of Victoria, will be representing the Tasmanian Tigers in the upcoming season of the Women's National Cricket League.
Villani, the leading run-scorer and WNCL Player of the season for 2021, has signed a two-year deal with the Tigers. Similarly, Australia off-spinner Strano and the 17-year-old New South Wales seamer Hayley Silver-Holmes are also a part of the squad for the upcoming season.
While Strano took 14 wickets in WNCL 2021 before joining the Australia squad in New Zealand, Silver-Holmes has displayed some impressive performances for the New South Wales Breakers and Sydney Sixers despite playing only four matches in the last season.
After finishing third in WNCL 2021, the Tigers are keen to go one step ahead in the coming season. Among other notable mentions, Cricket Australia contracted player Nicola Carey has retained her place, while Maisy Gibson, Corinne Hall, Sasha Moloney, Rachel Priest and Amy Smith have signed new deals.
Emma Thompson, who announced her pregnancy during the previous season, will be on maternity leave and is replaced by Emma Manix-Geeves. The latter's inclusion comes on the back of a remarkable season in the Cricket Tasmania Premier League (CTPL). She scored 597 runs at 59.70 and won the Kim Fazackerley Medal. While Samantha Bates has moved to Victoria for the 2021-22 season, Meg Phillips was not offered a contract.
Speaking about the squad, Salliann Beams, the Head coach of the Tigers female program, said that they were delighted to have an exciting group of players, adding, "We have worked to build both our program and our list over the past few years. With the additions to our playing group this year, it is a testament to the staff and players within our program – as well as the wider organisation - that we have players of this calibre wanting to be a part of our team."
“Through this and our Journey 25 vision, we are building both a team that has what it takes to bring home that WNCL title, but also a team that can continue to inspire the next generation of Tasmanian girls to believe that cricket is truly a career they can take to the highest level if they wish.”
Tasmania Tigers Squad: Chloe Abel, Nicola Carey, Maisy Gibson, Heather Graham, Corinne Hall, Emma Manix-Geeves, Sasha Moloney, Rachel Priest, Hayley Silver-Holmes, Amy Smith, Emily Smith, Naomi Stalenberg, Molly Strano, Emma Thompson, Belinda Vakarewa, Elyse Villani.
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