WBBL: Melbourne Stars sign Linsey Smith, Maddy Darke
Oct 05, 2021
Melbourne [Australia], October 5 : Melbourne Stars on Tuesday confirmed the signing of England spinner Linsey Smith and 20-year-old wicket keeper-batter Maddy Darke for the upcoming Women's Big Bash League (WBBL).
26-year-old Smith made her England debut in 2018 for the ICC Women's T20 World Cup campaign against Bangladesh. The left-arm orthodox bowler was signed by the Northern Superchargers in The Hundred and most recently played for the Northern Diamonds in England's One-Day competition -- the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy.
Smith said she was looking forward to heading Down Under and making her WBBL debut.
"I'm excited to join the team in Tasmania later this month and experience everything the Big Bash has to offer," Smith said.
"I've watched the WBBL from the UK and can't wait to pull on the Stars green this year," she added.
Making the move from WA, the young gun Darke is ready to play her part in achieving success for the Stars.
"The Stars squad is filled with such experienced players, I'm thrilled to be joining them and am ready to take advantage of the knowledge pool the team has," Darke said.
"Seeing them get so close last year and knowing what they're capable of, I'm ready to play my part this season," she added.
Current squad: Meg Lanning (c), Elyse Villani, Annabel Sutherland, Lucy Cripps, Nicole Faltum, Tess Flintoff, Kim Garth, Anna Lanning, Georgia Gall, Rhys McKenna, Erin Osborne, Maia Bouchier (ENG), Maddy Darke, Linsey Smith (ENG).
