WBBL: Jess Jonassen to lead Brisbane Heat after signing new deal
Jul 30, 2020
Brisbane [Australia], July 30 : Australia all-rounder Jess Jonassen will lead Brisbane Heat in the upcoming Women's Big Bash League (BBL) as she signed a three-year contract extension with the club on Thursday.
Jonassen, who was also appointed captain of the Queensland Fire last month, joins fellow teammate Delissa Kimmince as the club confirmed signings for the upcoming season.
The 27-year-old played a vital role for Heat's in last season, taking the most wickets (21) and scoring the second-most runs (419) for the club.
"We know we will be tested on a number of fronts this summer, but I firmly believe we should embrace those challenges and be ready to perform to the best of our ability, individually and as a squad," Jonassen said in a statement.
"We have seen the WBBL perform an increasingly valuable role in growing the game with women and girls and inspiring them to support and participate in cricket, especially when you see how big the World Cup was for the game in this country," she added.
She has played 75 matches for Brisbane, scoring 1,378 runs including six half-centuries and taking 76 wickets.
Her international career includes three Test matches, 68 ODIs and 79 T20Is, including the 2020 ICC Women's T20 Final in front of 86,174 fans at the MCG earlier this year.
Heat coach Ashley Noffke said he was delighted to prepare for the coming season with Jonassen in a leadership role.
"JJ has been a senior player in the group for some time and we know the special qualities she can bring to the group. Her international experience is a bonus for us in terms of how we will look to operate within the squad," he said.
"The leadership is a great chance for her to take her game to another level again after really impressing with her consistency in the past two seasons, which is why we believe she is such an important signing," Noffke added.
