The Victoria-born Sophie Grace Molineux has signed a two-year contract extension with Women’s Melbourne Renegades. The contract will end after the 2024 Big Bash League.
Sophie Named as Women’s Melbourne Renegades Captain
Renegades appointed Sophie Molineux as skipper replacing Amy Satterthwaite and becoming the youngest player in the team’s history to take on the role ahead of BBL 2021.
The Allrounder led the team to their maiden final appearance in that season. Notably, In April 2022, Molineux was bought by the Birmingham Phoenix for the 2022 season of The Hundred in England.
Earlier, Perth Scorchers re-signed New Zealand allrounder Sophie Devine who captained the side to WBBL glory in 2021.
“I’m super pumped and really, really optimistic and looking forward to the next couple of years – especially after the last 12 months that we’ve had,” Molineux said.
“I was really lucky to have had that first year of captaincy under Simon Helmot. He definitely took me under his wing, and we had a great group of girls who were very willing to play any role they could for the team.
“It would have been nicer to have gone a couple (of games) deeper in the competition and have won it, but we’ve got a bit of a building block and a template to how we want to play and how we want to feel as a group off the field as well.
“I’m really looking forward to this year, to be able to come back to Melbourne, bring it back to our home state and play some home games in front of our fans.”
Melbourne Renegades General Manager’s View
So far Sophie Molineux has played 87 matches and scored 1376 runs at a strike rate of 104.40. The left-handed all-rounder also scalped 67 wickets at an economy rate of 6.55.
“Sophie is one of the best spin bowlers in Australia and a fantastic all-round cricketer who can impact games with bat, ball or in the field,” Melbourne Renegades General Manager, James Rosengarten, said.
“At just 24 years of age, she is already a proven performer on the international stage and her best cricket is still to come.
“As a captain, Sophie was outstanding last year and her partnership with Simon Helmot in his first year as coach was a real game-changer for us. Sophie is a fierce competitor who leads by example on the field, has a great grasp on the game tactically and has helped to drive a strong culture within the group.
“Sophie is a passionate Renegades person and we couldn’t be more excited to have her committed to being a key part of our future.”
In 2014, having just turned 16, Molineux was named Player of the Championships at the Under-18 Nationals. She was the highest run-scorer for Victoria with 155 runs and also claimed 19 wickets for the tournament, at an incredible average of just 3.9.
