The West Indies star Hayley Matthews will be returning to Melbourne Renegades in an overseas singing ahead of the WBBL|10 Draft.
Hayley Matthews Re-signs with Renegades
The Melbourne Renegades will be the fourth club to sign an overseas player under the new singing provisions introduced by the league this year. It will be Matthews’ third season with the club during the WBBL|08.
The 26-year-old led the club in the absence of injured captain Sophie Molineux last season, but Renegades suffered a defeat and finished at the bottom of the table. Matthews finished as the equal leading wicket-taker with 14 wickets for her off-spin and scored 255 runs at a strike rate of 114.34.
“I’m super excited to be back with the girls; I’m confident I can play a massive role within the team and help put up some really good performances and hopefully lead us to a finals series,” Matthews said.
“The main thing I can appreciate about this club is the way they bring me in and make me feel so welcome. I can step back into what feels like a massive family.
“We haven’t achieved what we’ve wanted to the last couple of years but with some key members back and some new additions cooking up as well, I’m confident we can go out there and put it all together.
“One of the biggest things for me, after not having the best seasons with the Renegades in my first two years, I feel like I want to go out there and give the club a lot more.”
Matthews will bolster the Renegades’ batting line which is set to welcome back Sophie Molineux this summer after she missed the WBBL|09 due to a ruptured ACL.
The absence of Molineux and Tayla Vlaeminck was a major factor in the Renegades’ defeat last season despite high-profile batters like Harmanpreet and Tammy Beaumont not covering up the expectations.
“It hampered us not having our full squad together for either of the two years I’ve been there … just having Sophie around the group again is going to be such a plus,” Matthews said.
“I saw what she was able to do at the WPL, the way she was able to go out there and express herself and just be free, we’re super excited to have her back at the Renegades and hopefully doing even better.”
Recently, Sydney Sixers signed Amelia Kerr on a three-year deal for WBBL 2024. With the West Indies having no schedule during the WBBL|10 which will run from October 27 to December 01, it will be good news for the club. All remaining overseas players must be secured via by draft of a replacement player in place of a full-time squad member.
The draft will be held in September, with the date to be confirmed in due course. The WBBL|10 will start with Adelaide Strikers and Brisbane Heat playing in the first match of the tournament on October 27 at Adelaide Oval.
