New Delhi:
Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) side Melbourne Stars decided to sign a three-year deal with former Ireland international cricketer Kim Garth.
“Reigning Stars WBBL Player of the Year Kim Garth has put pen to paper on a new three-year deal at the club,” said an official statement from Melbourne Stars.
Garth enjoyed a breakout season in WBBL|07 with bat and ball, sitting inside the top 10 wicket-takers, despite two wash-outs, and an average of over 27 with the bat with a healthy strike rate of over 106.
After making her international debut for Ireland at the age of 14, Garth has gone on to represent her country 51 times in T20 cricket and was the leading run-scorer for her nation at the 2018 T20 World Cup. Garth relocated to Australia full time in 2020 after being awarded a Victorian contract.
After re-committing to the Stars, Garth said: “I am loving my time in Melbourne and I cannot wait for the next three seasons with the Melbourne Stars.”
“I have not been home (to Ireland) for over two years so it has been great to get back in the offseason but I am looking forward to getting back and putting in a solid block of work before the start of the season and working with Jonathan and the entire coaching team. I have not had the chance to play in front of our members and fans at home yet which is something I’m really looking forward to in WBBL|08.”
General Manager Blair Crouch welcomed her commitment to the club saying “We are thrilled to have Kim part of the Stars family for at least another three seasons. Her energy on and off the field is infectious and her impact on the group in a short time has been profound.”
“Kim has worked extremely hard on her game over the last couple of seasons and her improvement with both bat and ball is a credit to that hard work. We are looking forward to seeing Kim and the team play at home at the CitiPower Centre and around Victoria in WBBL|08, after not having played in Victoria since WBBL|05,” he added.
The player will now play under the guidance of the new coach Jonathan Batty.
Garth was a positive for the Stars in their dismal WBBL season last year. She was their player of the season finishing with 15 wickets, including a remarkable opening spell of 3-3-0-3 against Sydney Thunder, and an average of 27.33 with the bat.
(With inputs from ANI)
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