Hobart Hurricanes will extend the contract with Lizelle Lee 

Hobart Hurricanes have extended their contract with former South African player Lizelle Lee, signing her in as their pre-draft overseas signing in a two-year deal.  

Lee moved to Tasmania after an abrupt international retirement in 2022 and debuted for Hurricanes in WBBL 2022. The wicketkeeper-bat was the club’s leading run-getter last edition with 409 at an average of 37.18 and a strike rate of 146.07. This included her third WBBL hundred, an unbeaten 101 against Melbourne Renegades at home.

Lee’s excitement for the upcoming season 

Regarding the team’s chances in the upcoming WBBL season, “I feel like the team made some strong progress last season, and I am looking forward to playing my role and natural game as we look to bring Tasmania and the Hurricanes their first WBBL trophy,” Lee said in a statement from Hobart.

Lee has an impressive WBBL career, having scored 2066 runs in 82 matches at an average of 27.91. She is currently ranked 16th on the WBBL’s all-time run-scores list. 

With her and Junior [Elyse Villani] at the top of our order, I think we have arguably the most experienced and talented opening pairing in the WBBL,” said Cricket Tasmania’s general manager Salliann Beams. “She [Lee] provided us with great versatility with our overseas pre-signing, and considering we had the number one pick in the WBBL draft it made sense for us to pre-sign someone who we know can play a role for us.

“She can change the game with the bat and in the field, having done so time and time again in international cricket for South Africa and in the WBBL.”