An influx of bargain-price international players have hit the WBBL days out from the season opener as clubs make the most of a revamped signing rule to add depth to their rosters.
Melbourne Renegades added American pace bowler Tara Norris to their list on Thursday, becoming the fourth club this week to use the competition’s associate rookie rule.
Norris, 26, claimed 5-27 with her left-arm seam on debut for the Delhi Capitals in the WPL last year, and could play immediately as a replacement for Tayla Vlaeminck after the luckless quick suffered a season-ending shoulder injury at the T20 World Cup last week.
Associate rookie players cannot be included in a club’s 15-player squad but can replace injured squad members, and play alongside the three existing international players in an XI.
The initial rule, introduced in 2015, allowed clubs to give Cricket Australia their preferences from a pool of associate nations players, and gave current 스포츠토토사이트 Australian bowler Kim Garth her start with the Sydney Sixers before she had switched allegiance from Ireland.
The Renegades’ list move came after the Hobart Hurricanes picked up Scotland captain Kathryn Bryce, and the Sydney Sixers recruited her younger sister, Sarah Bryce.
The Sixers’ Bryce is a wicketkeeper who could also play straight away as captain Alyssa Healy remains under a cloud due to the foot injury she suffered at the World Cup.
Perth Scorchers signed Ni Made Putri Suwandewi (who goes by Tori Suwandewi) on Tuesday, making her the first Indonesian player to join a WBBL list.
The 26-year-old has been unplayable in ICC regional competitions against opposition which has most recently included Singapore, Bhutan and Mongolia, claiming 49 wickets in 42 T20s at an average of 8.18 and economy of 2.97.