After Australian women national team skipper Meg Lanning has unavailable for the Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) franchise Melbourne Stars, the outfit has announced slow-bowler Kristen Beams as the new captain for the third edition of the professional league.
The 32-year Tasmania-born bowler is excited on her appointment, in a bid to begin a new era with the Stars management adding they would be aiming to create the best atmosphere in the team to excel during the upcoming competition.
“I’m very honoured to be named captain of the Melbourne Stars. I can’t wait for the team to come together this summer and to create a culture that we can all be proud of,” Beams said in a Melbourne Stars release.
The leg-spinner has earlier struck a three-year term with the Stars, as the bowler has also led the side in a solitary game in 2016 while reiterating it would be a special moment to be the part of a single franchise.
“To also sign a three-year deal with the Stars is very exciting as it means that I’m going to be a one-club player. That’s something special to me,” Beams added.
Pertinently, Lanning is expected to miss the side after undergoing the major shoulder surgery which she picked during the recently concluded 50-over World Cup in the England and Wales. The reports revealed Lanning would remain at least eight months off-the-field while recovering from the injury which makes the batswoman unavailable for the Twenty20 competition back home.
In WBBL, Beams played 14 matches which saw her bagging 25 wickets. The best figures include four for 11 in the shortest version of the game since the tournament come to the fore in Australia.
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Following the new signings, Stars are eyeing to bolster their batting and bowling department while focusing on the foreign recruitment as of now.
“I played under the captaincy of Georgia [Elwiss] at the Loughborough Lightning. She was a part of England’s World Cup winning squad earlier this year and will bring depth to our bowling and batting line-ups,” Beams remarked.
Stars chief coach David Hemp has been at the forefront to unite the side while stating the combination of the fresh and senior campaigners would pay rich dividends in the competition.
“We’re really excited to welcome Mignon back to the Club. She was great to have around the team in season one and will slot in nicely in our middle order,” Hemp said of his side.
On the other side, Stars have already announced the list of 13 players which further has the two spots up for the grabs to complete the list. In the upcoming campaign, the Stars will wrestle it out against Sydney Sixers at North Sydney Oval on December 9.
Beams featured in 29 One-day Internationals and 18 Twenty20 Internationals. The bowler has also bagged 60 wickets in limited-overs’ format after making an appearance in the solitary Test match against England at Canterbury.