HUGE COUP FOR CANES
Indian batting wizard to give Hobart a boost for WBBL
THE wizardry of Indian cricket will take full flight in Hobart this summer for the third edition of the WBBL.
In a huge coup for not only the Hurricanes but the league, the Mercury can reveal exciting batter Veda Krishnamurthy will join the franchise as one of its three international imports.
Krishnamurthy, who turned 25 on Monday, will become just the third Indian to feature in the women’s Big Bash competition after the Board of Control for Cricket in India cleared its female players to join overseas domestic T20 competitions for the first time last year. Smriti Mandhana and Harmanpreet Kaur were the first two Indian players to sign WBBL deals 12 months ago, joining the Brisbane Heat and Sydney Thunder respectively.
Krishnamurthy was part of her country’s side that lost a thrilling ICC Women’s World Cup final to England in July — knocking out Australia in the semi-finals in the process.
And it was a breathtaking knock during the group stage against New Zealand that caught the eye of Hurricanes coach Julia Price. Krishnamurthy cracked 70 from 45 balls against the Kiwis, hitting seven boundaries and two sixes before adding a quickfire 35 from 34 balls in the final, which the Indians lost by nine runs.
“We saw how she went at the World Cup. She got a good 70 against New Zealand, got a good 35 against England as well, and it was just her hitting that was great to watch,” Price said. “It is the thing you could see would be transferable into T20 cricket. It is good to see her progressing. They just have a different style about them, the Indians.
“It is something different. We like to keep a good balance in the team and having someone like Veda coming into it, she is a little bit different being from the subcontinent and offering us something we don’t have already.”
Krishnamurthy will slot into a middle-order role, with Price hoping she can use her power to finish off innings for Hobart. Price is also confident the signing will lead to a greater global reach for the Hurricanes, with Indian fans following individual players as much as their national teams.
“In the past we have had Hayley [Matthews], who was our hitter and she has floated up and down the order a little bit,” Price said. “I think Veda would be more stable in that four, five position and be able to finish games for us with the way she plays.”
Last year’s captain Heather Knight is unlikely to return for WBBL03 because of Ashes commitments with England. The squad’s remaining two imports will be named in coming weeks.